


Paved With Good Intentions

by dark_tides



Series: Starcrossed [1]
Category: GTA V, Grand Theft Auto Series (Video Games), Grand Theft Auto V
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Developing Relationship, Drug Abuse, Drug Addiction, Drug Use, Ending C: The Third Way, Falling In Love, Fluff, Graphic Description, Heartache, Heartbreak, Heist, Love, Love at First Sight, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Older Man/Younger Woman, References to Depression, Romance, Rough Sex, Smut, slight AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:08:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 66,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28127388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dark_tides/pseuds/dark_tides
Summary: Ellie Sullivan returns to San Andreas for one last score, but can she keep her eyes on the prize or will she be distracted by a former flame in the desert.(Takes place post-ending C: slight AU, but nothing that affects the main storyline!)
Relationships: Trevor Philips & Original Female Character(s), Trevor Philips/Original Character(s), Trevor Philips/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Starcrossed [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2155293
Comments: 33
Kudos: 30





	1. The Yellow Sands of Home

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is my first ever fanfic, so any comments would be welcome ❤️ - especially any corrections or contingency edits (proof reading is not my strong suit!)

My fingers tightened around the wheel of the BF Injection as I sped down the highway toward Blaine County. My flight from Liberty City had been painless and at the rental desk I'd gone for substance over style, knowing that the old dune buggy would be inconspicuous and also make for a good desert getaway car if push came to shove. I glanced up and flicked on my indicator as I pulled off the highway and rode further out into the sandy wasteland. The sticky heat bunched up in the folds of my clothes, the archaic air-con doing very little to relieve the sun that beat down on the roof of the little car, radiating into my skin.

I looked up as I passed a road sign indicating that I was only a couple of miles from Sandy shores. My heart did a little flip in my chest as I read it, but I crushed the feeling back down, choosing instead to focus on the task at hand. I pulled my motor into a parking lot outside a motel with a neon flashing vacancy sign just as the sun dipped below the horizon, dying the cloudless sky brilliant shades of orange and purple. I walked up to the clerk who sat behind a little wooden desk, paid upfront for two nights and dragged my tired carcass inside, immediately collapsing onto the stained sheets and into a dreamless sleep.

I woke to the sun casting dappled light across my face through the open blinds. I groaned and rolled over to shield myself from the unrelenting brightness and pulled out my phone. No messages. I took that as good news. I stood up, standing on my tiptoes as I stretched my arms above my head, yawning and padding over to where I chucked my black duffle bag the night before. I pulled out a change of clothes and my laptop, booting it up before wandering over to the bathroom and turning on the shower. The thick desert heat was already starting to creep up my spine, drawing out beads of sweat, and I sighed in pleasure as I stepped into the cool water.

When I was done I got out and wiped the condensation from the mirror with one hand. My auburn locks were damp and curled just above my shoulders. A smattering of chocolates freckles peppered my cheekbones and the swell of my nose over milky white skin, setting off the brown notes in my hazel eyes. I ran one hand through my hair to get out the worst of the tangles before pulling on a loose peach tank top and some skimpy shorts to help ease the heat. I couldn't decide if the desert had gotten hotter since I'd moved away five years ago or if I was just used to chillier climes of Liberty City. Either way it was fucking sweltering.

I grabbed my laptop and flopped onto the bed, my fingers barely touching the keys as I skimmed through my files. The crate was due to land in the port in Los Santos in exactly one week. I navigated into the cities transcript files, smiling to myself at the lapse security, and double checked the location. It looked like a simple in and out job. All I had to do was locate the crate, load it up and transport it out of there. I pulled a pile of papers out of my duffle bag and flipped through the schematics of the port. Once I was satisfied I chucked the pile of documents back into the bag and closed the lid on the laptop.

I was glad that I'd arrived in San Andreas with plenty of time to spare before the score but as I stretched out on my bed, fingertips brushing against the starchy wallpaper, I realised that I was already bored. I checked my phone again. It was just a little after eleven but I shrugged my shoulders and grabbed my car keys. It was five o clock somewhere. I jogged down to my car, the heat enveloping me like a second skin, and I jumped into my furnace of a car and pulled out of the parking lot.

I made the brief journey from my motel to Sandy Shores. I tried not to. I even looped round through Paleto Bay and stopped outside the Hen House for ten minutes, debating, but it was pointless. I knew exactly where I was going, As I took a right by the gas station I kept my eyes resolutely fixed on the road ahead as I rolled past Zancudo Avenue. I pulled into the parking lot of the Yellow Jack Inn and jumped out of my car, walking over to the door and making a mental note of the rusted Canis Bodhi that was parked like an asshole, taking up three spaces. From inside I could hear the sounds of an altercation and I grinned to myself as I pushed the door open. Some things never changed.

The warm, familiar whiff of hops, sweat and blood assaulted my nostrils as soon as I walked through the door and I blinked a couple of times as I adjusted to the sudden darkness, a stark change from the glaring desert light outside. I let out a little yelp as a beer bottle sailed past my head, smashing into the wall behind me. The bushy bearded culprit, dressed head to toe in biker leathers, stood a few feet away. He was swaying slightly on his feet and it quickly became clear to me that I hadn't been his intended target. Standing between us, with his broad back to me, was Trevor. I could have pretended to be surprised, but you don't rock up to your ex-boyfriends local and get to kid yourself into thinking that you didn't mean to bump into him. Dark blue jeans clung to his toned thighs and his chest was clad in a pink tank top, no doubt with something lurid embroidered on the front . His fists were clenched at his sides and he almost vibrated with rage as he faced off against the older man.

Without a word of warning, he charged at the biker, spearing him in the stomach and lifting him clean of the ground. They crashed to the floor, knocking over a couple of stools as they did so. Behind the bar, an older woman let out a sigh and as I looked over at her she shot me a surprised grin, her eyes lighting up in recognition, before turning her attention back to the brawl. Trevor mounted the bikers chest and he hammered his fists into his face.

"It's a. Faint. Fuckin'. Accent." He roared, punctuating each word with a blow, spittle flying into the other man's face.

His rumbling, familiar voice set off a swarm of butterflies in my stomach and I crossed the bar quickly, grabbing him under his arms and pulling him backwards with all my strength, feeling the ridges and knots of his muscles beneath my fingers as I pulled. He stumbled backwards onto his feet before lumbering round to face me. Dark, violent rage seethed from his eyes but was almost immediately replaced with shock as they met mine, and his arm that had been pulled up to deck me dropped uselessly to his side.

He stared at me, his expression one of disbelief. I would have laughed had the biker not chosen that moment to climb to his feet, his nose streaming with blood as he reached blindly for the stunned man in front of me. I used Trevor's momentary shock to my advantage shoving him him to the side and out of my way. I grabbed the biker by his beard and, using all my strength, drove his face down into my knee. He keeled backwards and lay on the floor, not moving. I turned back to grin at Trevor, but found just an empty space as the door to the bar slammed on its hinges, shaking the window panes as it did so.

"Goes without saying, Ellie, but you're barred." Said the woman behind the bar, shaking her head but unable to contain a smile as I walked toward the door.

"Nice to see you too, Janet" I said, pulling open the door and shooting her a devilish grin. I jogged out into the parking lot to find Trevor pacing erratically up and down by the rusted, red truck. As I walked over he stopped and fixed his wild eyes on mine. They flickered over my hair, dropping down to my cleavage, and then back again as his tongue darted behind his bottom teeth. He took a sudden aggressive step towards me, abruptly stopping.

"Hey-" I tried by he cut me off with a growl.

"Don't." He said, biting out the word. He pointed a finger at me and growled twice, before jumping into his truck. He sat there for a second fixing me with a rage filled glare, before shoving the gear stick into reverse, and pealing out of the parking lot and into the road. I stood still, mutely watching the tires of his truck kick up swirling clouds of dust as he roared past his trailer and out into the desert. I grimaced. I didn't expect the warmest welcome, but that was a bit much. For a second I considered following him, but I'd spent enough time with the guy to know that cornering him now would end up in one, or both of us, doing something we'd regret.

I climbed back into the car and contemplated driving to another bar, but my heart wasn't in it. I'd only really come out in the hope that I might accidentally on purpose bump into Trevor and as that had gone so spectacularly fucking well I decided to cut my losses and drive back to the motel.

I took the stairs two at a time, stopping by the ice machine to fill up a bucket before letting myself into my room. The combination of heat, bar brawl and ex-boyfriend made my already clammy skin feel even grosser. I walked into the bathroom, turning the temperature dial to the lowest setting and jumped in, letting the cool water wash away the tension in my shoulders. When I was satisfied that I was as cold as I was going to get, I climbed out of the shower and wrapped the scratchy white towel tightly around my slender frame. I pulled open the door and froze. Trevor was sat on my bed, slowly leafing through the papers from my bag. Sunlight glinted through the open window, catching against hard metal and I realised that he'd taken out my gun and placed it on the dresser next to him. I swallowed and leaned against the door, watching him as he thumbed through the pages.

"Well _woooo-wee_. Looks like someone's planning a fucking good time." He whistled, not looking up at me.

"See something you like?" I asked and he looked up, his eyes darkening as he took in my barely covered body. He stood up, crossing the room quickly but before he could reach me I dropped the towel. He stopped startled and I met his eyes, challenging him. He growled at me, taking the final step toward me and crushing his lips into mine with a force that made me stumble backwards into the bathroom. I clung to him, my heart pounding in my chest as he reached around and hiked my legs up, wrapping them around his waist. His kiss was hungry and urgent and I parted my lips to let him slip his tongue into my mouth, curling my fingers into his hair and pulling him closer. I felt the firm press of his hard on as the scratchy fabric of his jeans pressed against my exposed skin and I whimpered slightly.

I gasped in shock and pain, breaking the contact between our lips, as he rammed me backwards into the cold porcelain sink, sending toiletries clattering to the floor. He paused, his frantic eyes finding mine silently checking I was okay. I gave him a small smile and leaned forward, grabbing his bottom lip between my teeth, keeping eye contact as I bit down gently. He closed his eyes and let out a dusky moan that sent a flame of desire straight between my legs. His fingers grabbed into my hips, his mouth immediately dipping to capture a pert nipple between his teeth. I squirmed against him, grinding harder against the bulge in his pants and he bucked into me helplessly.

I untangled my fingers from his hair and fumbled at his belt with shaking hands until I managed to free his cock. I grabbed his sizeable length with one hand and he shuddered against me. Slowly, I pumped up and down along his shaft and he bucked harder into my hand his fingers tightening against my skin, his breath coming in short bursts.

He grabbed my hands and shoved them roughly away so he was pinning them against the mirror with one of his. I gasped as his fingers tightened around my wrists with a delicious pinching pressure that I knew would leave marks. He growled using his knees to stretch my legs almost uncomfortably wide, his free hand snaking down across my stomach, sending flashes of electricity to my centre as his fingertips brushed against my naked flesh. He dropped his hand lower, brushing tortuously at the skin around of my inner thighs and I wriggled against him. He chuckled then, a low, dirty noise that sent my pulse into overdrive.

"You like that, sugar tits?" He purred into my ear as he brushed one finger, feather light, along my slit and I groaned helplessly.

"Fucking _answer_ me." He said, the heat in his voice infused with simmering anger and I jumped, licking my lips, trying to remember how to talk.

"I – I like it." I whispered my voice croaky with want. He let out a pleased growl but continued his tortuous dance at my entrance.

"Say my fucking name." He said, his fingers tightening around my wrists and I hissed sharply, lust dragging through me like fire.

"I fucking love it, Trevor." I choked and he plunged his fingers into me tracing small circles around the sensitive nub at the top of my vagina. I moaned into him, bucking frantically against him, but it wasn't enough. I needed him desperately.

"Please." I whispered, my breath hitching in my throat.

"What. What do you want?" He said, his voice low and thick with lust. He increased the pressure as his thumb swirled against me. I yelped and bit his shoulder causing him to shudder. "Tell me what you want baby."

"I want you..." I tried again, pressing my forehead against his, the beads of sweat from my skin mixing with his and I was barely able to breath from the sensations that flooded through my lower body as he slipped two fingers inside me, massaging my core.

"Tell me what you want." He hissed through clenched teeth, sliding his his fingers in and out as I squirmed against him. "Say it."

"I want you to fuck me." I gasped and he grinned.

"Good girl." With one swift movement he guided himself to my entrance and pushed his whole length into me. I cried out at the sudden fullness and his body shook as he twitched inside me.

He held me steady against him and let out a shaky laugh.

"Fuck, I almost came." He said, and I whimpered, the thought almost enough to send me over the edge. He pulled out and then rocked back into me slowly and I gasped. His hands let go of my wrists and I dropped them immediately to his back wrestling his T-shirt over his head and pulling him toward me, needing to feel as much of his skin on mine as I could. He started to rock into me rhythmically and I buried my face into his neck as his shaft slid against the sensitive spot inside me.

"No." He growled, grabbing me sharply by the hair and pulling me back so my forehead was rested against his. "Look at me."

He shoved into me hard and I gasped as he hit that spot where pleasure and pain mingled and I hissed in pleasure. He picked up the pace, continuing to ram into me, his eyes locked to mine, drinking in my expression as I tried to keep my eyes on his. The wave of an orgasm was building with each thrust and I moved my hands up to the side of his face holding him in place.

"Trevor, I think I'm gonna –" I started, but I exploded around him before I could finish, the walls of my vagina contracting around his cock and sending a dark rush of pleasure shooting through every nerve and cell of my body. Seconds later I felt him tremble and his fingers dug into my hips as he slammed into me a couple more times before letting out a strangled groan as he spilled his seed deep inside me.

We clung to each other for a moment, surrounded by nothing but the sounds of our haggard breathing and the feel of his sweaty, salty body flush against mine. He nipped lightly at my neck as he pulled out, lowering me gently to the ground. I put two hands on either side of the sink to steady myself and let out a shaky breath. He pulled up his jeans, tucking himself away and leant over to pick up his T-shirt, chucking it over to me. I pulled it on quickly, our height difference meaning that it hung almost to my knees. I looked down to check my earlier theory and was surprised to see the word "pussycat" scrawled in white writing along the front. Not as bad as I thought.

He leaned back against the cool tile wall, crossing his arms against his chest and studying me.

"So you gonna tell me why you're here?" He asked when he'd caught his breath and I shook my head smiling, my lips and skin flushed with exertion.

"Really, Trevor, you wanna do this now?" I asked, teasingly, and he kept his eyes trained on me as he shrugged.

"Seems as good a time as fuckin' any." He replied and I snorted. Classic Trevor logic.

"I'm here on a job. You saw the papers." I replied and his eyes darkened, his arms dropping to his side, fists clenching and unclenching.

"Bullshit, Ellie. You don't get to walk out on me, not speak to me for five fucking years, and then come back here and lie to me." He almost hissed the last words and my heart sped up in my chest. I'd forgotten how scary he could be. I swallowed.

"I'm here on a job, Trevor." I repeated and he growled again.

"No." He spat "You're in San Andreas ' _for a job_ '. The papers say your target is in LS. **You** are in Sandy Shores. So I'm going to ask you again. Why the fuck are you here? And don't lie to me, I'll know." His pupils were narrow pin points and I could feel a palpable anger building in the air between us.

"Fine." I relented, holding up my hands in the international sign of surrender. "I'm here for a job, but..." I trailed off and he narrowed his eyes at me "but I wanted to see you, too."

He flung up his hands in the air and stormed out of the bathroom.

"I fucking _knew_ it." He shouted and I followed him cautiously into the bedroom. "So you're here for a job and you thought 'you know what, why don't I go and fuck with Trevor while I'm here'. Is that it?"

I stepped back, startled.

"No, Trevor, of course not. That's not what I said. I just missed you and wanted to see how you were doing." I said, frowning.

"Oh really." He asked, pacing up and down in the bedroom. "How fuckin' convenient for you. Now you decide to miss me. You didn't seem to care how I was doing when you walked out on me. Didn't seem to miss me too fuckin' much while you've been dicking about with those pricks in Liberty City. But _colour me fucking surprised_. You're back in San Andreas for a week and suddenly you find it in you to miss old Uncle T." He snapped at me and I scowled at him.

"That's not fair and you know it. I left because I had to." I felt hot tears starting to burn at the back of my eyes and I blinked to try and push them back.

"Oh you had to." He mocked and I glared at him, silently. "Didn't see nobody pointing a gun to your head, sweetheart." He said, letting out a bitter laugh.

"Trevor, you were killing yourself. You couldn't forgive yourself for what happened in North Yankton, and I couldn't help you. Everything I did seemed to make you angrier and more depressed." I whispered.

"And you thought that abandoning me would make me magically better? Is that it?" He screamed and I took another step back, trying and failing to keep the fear from my eyes. He looked at me immediately reading the panic in my face and let out a low groan, sinking to his knees and covering his head with his hands. I took a tentative step towards him, pulling his arms down and crouching on the floor beside him.

"Trevor I'm sorry. I did what I thought was right." I said, a tear escaping from behind my eyelashes and trickling down my cheek. He stared at me and shook his head looking suddenly broken and exhausted.

"Well good for fucking you." He said, his voice flat. "Whatever helps you sleep at night." He pushed himself to his feet and stalked out of the door, slamming it behind him. The room echoed with the sudden emptiness and I stared at the door as I sunk down into the motel bed, tucking my naked legs into the folds of his tank top. Maybe coming back to Sandy Shores hadn't been the best idea after all.


	2. Two Ghosts, One Year.

I woke up the next morning in the dark quiet of my motel room, the only sound the mechanical hum of the air con as it strained to keep the desert heat at bay. I stretched out in the bed, enjoying the feel of the cold air on my skin and that delicious muscle ache that I got after good sex.

After Trevor had stormed out, I’d sat on the bed for a long time spiralling into a progressively darker mood as I chewed over how we’d left things. Finally I’d decided that I’d moped for long enough and wandered out to closest gas station, stocking up on as much junk food as I could carry. When I got back to the motel, I switched on the TV and flicked through the channels until I found one showing reruns of Vinewood classics. I spent the evening eating candy, watching old movies and feeling sorry for myself before passing out in a sugar coma in the early hours of the morning.

I yawned and reached over to turn on the lamp, blinking sleepily as warm light flooded the room. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. Coffee. I needed coffee. Still in my pyjamas I wandered outside to the vending machine at the end of the corridor and punched the button for caffeine-y goodness. As the machine whirled, I leaned against the cinderblock wall and looked out at the desert. It was still early but the heat was already crawling over my skin like ants, and I scratched at my arm absently as liquid seeped from the machine into the little paper cup. The vending machine beeped once to let me know that it was done and I grabbed the cup, noting the blossoming bluish tinge on the skin around my wrists and I shivered slightly as I remembered the feel of Trevor’s hard body pushed up against mine.

  
I shook my head to dispel the memory and walked back to my room, letting out a sigh of relief as the cool air enveloped my skin. I took a sip of coffee and sat back down on my bed. Thanks to my inability to keep it in my pants I’d lost a full day’s work yesterday and really couldn’t afford any more distractions. I booted up the laptop and keyed in the URL to pull up the schematics of the port. It took a second to load but when it did my jaw dropped.

Instead of the list of dark blue schematics that I’d been expecting, I’d been redirected to a blank page with nothing on it except for a crudely drawn gif of a balding man in a white tank top on the toilet with the words “Fuck u” scrawled beneath it. I sat in stunned silence. I don’t think I’d ever been more surprised by anything in my life, and I’d lived with Trevor Philips for a year. Bright laughter bubbled up from my chest, spilling unbidden through my lips. I laughed until tears streamed down my face and I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t help it. That shit was funny.

Or at least it was funny until I released that every single damn thing that I tried to open redirected me back to that stupid page. I pinched the bridge of my nose and pulled out my phone, scrolling through until I landed on the only contact, other than the asshole responsible, who could help me sort out this mess.

“Well, well. Two ghosts in one year, what are the chances?” came Lester’s nasally voice over the phone. I grinned and leant back against the creaky headboard of the bed.

“Hey Les. How’ve you been?” I asked, genuinely surprising myself with how happy I was to hear his voice.

“Busy.” Came the short reply and I smiled. “Spending a lot of time keeping your psychotic ex out of trouble.”

“He’s not psychotic.” I said, frowning, and Lester hummed over the phone.

“Yes, I suppose you’re right. It’s not fair to lump your garden variety psychopath in with him.” He said and I snorted despite myself.

“Anyway, I can guess why you’re calling. I got a pretty erratic call from Trevor last night. Erratic even by his standards. Asked me to put a blocker on some files pertaining to a shipment coming into the LS docks next week. I know it’s nothing to do with him, I keep a tight surveillance on his business dealings, so I dug a bit deeper and found out that it’s connected to a missing persons report in Liberty City. Know anything about that?” he asked, and I stayed quiet.

“Hmm.” He continued. “That’s what I thought. What’s in the crate?”

“I can’t discuss it over the phone.” I replied, quickly.

“Fine. Stop by the house when you get to Los Santos. I’ll text you the address.” He said and I nodded.

“Thanks Lester. I’ll come by tomorrow. More importantly, how much is it gonna cost to get you to unblock this shit for me?” I asked.

“Not going to happen I’m afraid. Trevor said he’d double anything you offered me.” My mouth dropped open.

“Come on, Les. Trevor doesn’t have that kind of money.” I said and there was a long pause over the line. “Lester?”

“Look. I know he’s good for it. If you want to know more than that you can ask him yourself.” He said and I snarled in frustration.

“Fucking fine.” I snapped, before an evil though popped into my head and I grinned. “But for the record I’m offering you five grand for this info. He still good for it?” I asked and Lester let out a chuckle.

“I’ll send him the bill.” He replied and I chewed on my lip, puzzled by Lester’s confidence in Trevor’s finances, but also by something he’d said earlier.

“Hey Les, when you picked up you said something about two ghosts. I get me, but who’s the other?” I asked, curiously.

“You are full of questions that I really shouldn’t answer.” He said and was quiet for a moment as he mulled over his response before finally replying. “Michael Townley.”

Shock shot through me like a bolt of lightning and I suddenly felt a bit dizzy.

“What?” I whispered, barely able to hear myself over the blood that pounded in my head.

“I’m not saying more than that. You wanna know? You ask Trevor.” He said and I nodded silently, unable to speak.

“Ellie?”

“Okay.” I replied, quietly.

“Good. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He said and the line went dead.

I took the phone away from my ear and stared at it as I held it loosely in my hand.

Michael Townley. The ghost that haunted Trevor’s mind. The best friend that he’d grieved for years. Alive. I slowly tightened my fingers around the phone until the plastic creaked in protest. I grabbed my keys from the side and walked out of the room.

It only took me about twenty minutes to make my way to Trevor’s trailer after I hung up with Lester. I drove over in a complete daze. I was reeling between rage at Michael and an ache in my gut that was almost physical in its pain. I’d watched Trevor mourn for that man. I’d held him in my arms as he rocked in despair on a meth comedown, mumbling his name. I’d held him together as we fell apart.

I pulled the dune buggy up behind Trevor’s truck and stepped out. The air-con in the car was shit, but it was heaven compared to the skin searing heat of the midday desert sun. I skipped up the steps and sheltered in the shade beneath Trevor’s porch, suddenly unsure what I was doing as sweat trickled down my spine. I knew Trevor better than most and I knew if I caught him off guard with questions about Michael he’d likely shut down or lash out. I’d need to tread carefully if I wanted to find out what happened. Before I could decide an approach, the door wrenched inward and Trevor stared at me from inside.

“You just gonna stand out there all day?” he drawled.

He was topless, wearing only a pair of stained grey jogging bottoms and he grinned at me. I momentarily forgot myself as I stared at his taught chest and the thin line of hair that curled down his stomach, dipping below his waistline.

“My eyes are up here, cupcake.” He hollered stepping aside and I blushed as he gestured me in. “I was wondering when I’d be seeing that pretty little face of yours again.”

I scooted past him and into the trailer, recoiling slightly at the chaotic scene inside.

“Trevor.” I said, secretly enjoying the way his name rolled off my tongue. “I see you’re as tidy as ever.” I turned to grin at him, and he barged past me yanking the door to fridge open and pulling out two beers.

“Yeah, yeah, save it.” He said as he threw me one of the bottles. I caught it and leaned up against the kitchen counter, careful not to touch too much of the filthy debris that littered it.

“What do you want?" he asked as he threw himself onto the sofa, downing half his drink in his first gulp. I shook my head at him.

“You know what I want.” I replied and he gave me a filthy grin dropping his free hand to cup himself through the fabric of his sweats.

“Not that.” I said, colour flooding my cheeks as I pulled out my phone, swiped to the screenshot of the gif, and chucked it to him. He studied the picture for a second before saying anything.

“Well ain’t that inconvenient for you.” He said. His expression was blank, but his eyes were sparkling with unspoken glee.

I glared at him and he held my gaze for a second before relaxing back into the sofa.

“You really tell that creep you’d pay him five thousand dollars to unlock the file?” He asked, taking another sip of beer and studying me.

“Information is a valuable commodity, Trev.” I deadpanned, twisting off the cap of my beer and raising it in salute. He stared at me for a moment before letting out a whooping laugh.

“You are a piece of work.” He laughed “I should have fuckin’ known.”

I gave him a little smile and peeled at the damp label on the beer bottle that had grown sticky with condensation. I took a swig and met his gaze, the smile fading from my lips as I studied him.

“What’s it gonna take to get you to remove the block, Trevor?” I asked and he shrugged.

“You know how I feel about people asking me questions they already know the answers to.” He replied, simply, and I let out a frustrated sigh.

“This isn’t a normal score, Trevor, I’m doing this as a favour for a friend. I don’t even know if there’s going to be a pay-out.” I said.

“Ellie. Sweet cheeks.” He said, holding out his arms, palms facing upwards, his face a picture of innocence. “Do I look like the kind of man that only gets involved in something for my own self-interest?”  
  
I snorted and rolled my eyes. He broke into a grin and continued. “Look I’m bored and you’re gonna need a crew to help you out on this one. I’ve seen your target. You’re fucking crazier than I am if you think you can handle this by yourself.”

My eyes flicked away from him quickly before I could stop myself. I tried to recover but it was too late. He cocked his head to the side and looked at me thoughtfully.

“You already got a crew?” He asked. For a crazy asshole he sure was insightful.

“Not exactly. I was planning on getting Lester to scout around for me. See who was open to making a quick buck.” I said and Trevor let out a bark of laughter.

“Oh, I see. You don’t believe that I’d work for free, but you’re gonna to ask Lester the Molester. Now there’s a man who works purely out of the goodness of his fuckin’ heart.” He said scornfully and I bit my lip, glancing away. I wasn’t sure how much I wanted to tell Trevor about the job, but I figured he was going to get the basics out of me one way or another.

“Look. You know how these things are. My client gave me some leeway for… expenses. So, I’m going to speak to Lester and see if he has anything in budget, okay?” I said and he shook his head.

“Not okay. You’re not getting some cheap, twitchy snake off the street. You’ll end up fucking dead. They’ve ramped up the security at the port since the shit that went down with Merryweather. You want this to pan out good, you need a good crew.” He said, putting the bottle to his lips and draining the last of his beer.

“Trevor.” I spoke slowly like I was addressing a child. “There is no money in this. I can’t pay a for a good crew.”

“I just said you don’t need to.” He said, simply. I flung my arms up in frustration, forgetting I was still holding my drink and sending most of a bottle of beer splashing over his floor.

“Shit. Sorry.” I sighed, leaning over and dropping the bottle into the sink “Do you have a towel?”

“No need. It’s hardly a fucking palace in here.” He shrugged and I stared at him for a second before shaking my head and looking out the window as a car rumbled past on the dusty road.

“Take the block down and you can come with me to Lester’s tomorrow. We’ll discuss it with him, and if.” I stretched out the ‘if’ in emphasis. “If he agrees with you, I’ll contact my client about costings for a crew.”

Trevor grinned at me, his eyes lighting up and I couldn’t help but smile back at him.

“You got yourself a deal, cupcake.” He said, and I rolled my eyes at him.

“You are unbelievable, you know that?” I said and his eyes shone as he pushed himself up off the sofa, chucking his now empty bottle to the floor with a heavy clunk.

“You know,” he drawled, as he shot me a lascivious grin his eyes settling on my cleavage. “You used to tell me that a lot.”

I blushed, my cheeks burning pink. He stepped toward me and I instinctively dodged away from him. He stopped, suddenly uncertain, his eyes searching mine. I gave him a little smile as he took another tentative step towards me and I reached out to tug him to me. His eyes widened in surprise as I grabbed him by the top of his jogging bottoms, the tips of my fingers brushing against his warm skin as I pulled him closer. I stared up into his amber eyes and he looked back at me his pupils dilated as I pushed up onto my tiptoes to capture his lips with mine.

His arms snaked behind my back, hitching up the fabric of t-shirt so that his hands were pressed against my bare skin. I grazed my teeth over his bottom lip, and he parted them allowing me to slip my tongue into his mouth. This was different to yesterday. Gone was the sharp, immediate need and in its place was a deep, raw longing. I moved my hands up, one cupping his face and the other tangled in his hair, and I kissed him like I would die if I didn’t.

He stepped away from me suddenly, pushing me back. I pouted, missing the line of heat of his body pressed against mine, and I looked up at him. He was breathing hard and his eyes were full of rage. He turned to his left and spat on the floor.

“You don’t get to fucking kiss me like that, Ellie.” He said, his voice hoarse as he wiped the back of his hand over his mouth. “You don’t get to kiss me like that unless you fucking mean it.”

I stared at him and he glared back, his eyes dark and angry. I stepped towards him again gently taking his hands in mine. He stiffened but didn’t pull away, his gaze trained on where my pale fingers wrapped around his.

“Lester told me about Michael. I’m so sorry baby.” I whispered, my words catching in my throat, the old pet name slipped out unbidden.

He looked up at me then, the rage still simmering there but framed by despair.

“He fucking betrayed us Ellie. He got Brad killed and left me to die.” He said, his voice broken, the pain in his eyes so raw it hurt me to keep his gaze. Tears welled in mine and I massaged small circles into his palm with my thumb.

“I’m so sorry.” I repeated, and he looked away.

“So what? You’re just as bad as he is.” He snapped and I gasped.

“Trevor, that’s not fair.” I whispered and his eyes narrowed at me.

“Why? That fat snake left me for dead and so did you. Hey you know what? You two should meet, you have a lot in common.”

The tears that had only threatened before spilled from my eyes and I let out a choked sob.

“Why are you fucking crying?” he hissed, and I gripped his hand tighter.

“I never wanted to leave you, Trevor.” I said, my voice shaking as I tried to contain my tears.

“Then why did you, huh? Nobody fucking forced you.” He snatched his hands away, rubbing them against his jeans like they were covered in something slimy. I reached for him again and he grabbed me, his calloused hands gripping into my skin before he pushed me backwards. The force of it caused me to stumble back and I knocked into the counter sending boxes toppling onto the floor.

He stared at me, his eyes twitching and his breath heavy, his rage barely contained.

“Get out.” He said, his voice shaky. I moved toward him, and he put out a trembling hand to stop me. “I’m serious Ellie, get the fuck out of here right now before I do something I regret.”

I stared at him wide eyed before backing slowly toward the door. I put one hand behind me feeling for the door handle and pulling it open. He watched me, his eyes dark and predatory, but stayed rooted to the spot.

“I’m leaving for LS tomorrow. If you want to come, meet me at the motel at eight.” I whispered, before slipping out of the trailer and pulling the door closed behind me. No sooner had it shut then the sounds of smashing glass came crashing from within the trailer and the porch shuddered as something heavy collided with the door. I let out a yelp and ran to the car, jumping in and speeding off down the road to safety.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two! Slightly less smut and slightly more angst, but promise more fun in the next chapter!


	3. Lost Girl

I leaned against the hood of my car and stared down the road leading away from the motel. I’d dressed in dark jeans, a black strap top and dark sunglasses to hide my puffy eyes. My auburn hair was pulled up into a messy topknot and I glanced down at my phone to check the time again. It was just after eight. I decided to give Trevor another ten minutes before I left without him, but I still couldn’t unscramble my brain enough to decide whether I’d be happy or sad if he showed up.

I’d been up crying most of the night and I was dog tired. His low, broken voice had run in my head on repeat, telling me that I was just as bad as Michael. I knew I’d hurt him. I knew that. But I left him because I loved him. That man faked his own death to _save himself_. Saying we were the same… Well that was a knife in the chest, and every time I remembered the blade twisted a little deeper into my heart.

I sighed, shifting uncomfortably against the hot metal of the car, the feel of it reminding me of how I’d ended up in this damn county in the first place.

I’d been twenty-four and fresh into Los Santos when I’d landed my first job with The Lost. On paper, it was simple. A trial run for the rookie. Pick up the guns from the drop at Gordo Lighthouse and run it out to Stab City. But like most simple things, it didn’t go down like that. I’d been blindsided by a convoy of bikers coming out of Grapeseed and they’d run me off the road, chasing me through Senora National Park. I managed to evade them for a while but eventually one of the fuckers shot out a tire and I spun off, hitting a boulder and flipping the car.

My head slammed against the window as I rolled, the desert landscape spinning through the cracked windscreen. When the car finally came to a stop I groaned, dazed. Through the high-pitched ringing in my ears I heard the crunching of wheels on sand and engines cutting. I unclipped my seatbelt, the tightness relieving around my chest where it had pinned me to my seat, and I pushed open my door, coughing. I tried to stand but pain shot through my leg and I fell. I looked down see dark blood seeping from a gash in my thigh and I swallowed. Looked like I was crawling.

I only got about a meter from the car before I heard the heavy thud of boots approaching me and a confident, slightly accented voice rang out in the quiet.

“Well _look-eeee here_ , boys. We gone caught ourselves a Lost Bitch.” He said. My fingers burned against the hot sand as I attempted to drag myself away from him. I felt the outline of a leather boot dig into my ribs trying to get me to roll onto my back and I pushed it away. It retracted for a second before white hot pain exploded in my side as the boot rammed into me and I rolled over, winded and clutching at my ribs. A tall man dressed head to toe in leathers stood over me. He undid the clasp of his scratched-up helmet and dropped it to the floor with a tinny thud. His lecherous grin shone through his beard and he plucked off his aviators and tucked them into the top pocket of his jacket.

He dropped to his knees over me, his weight resting against my injured leg and I bit back a scream, struggling to get away. He grabbed my hands, pushing them by my waist and kneeling on them so I was completely trapped beneath him.

“Oh no, _puta_ , does that hurt?” he mocked, and this time I couldn’t help it, letting out a high-pitched scream as he squeezed his knees together, sending lightning bolts of pain through my leg. He gave a throaty laugh, that was quickly echoed by the other bikers as they formed a ring around us. I blinked up at them, clocking at least seven bodies, before he grabbed my cheeks roughly with one hand and dragged my face back to look at him.

“Hey baby, don’t you know it’s rude to not look at people when they’re talkin’ to you?” he crowed. I stayed silent, trying to pour as much hate into my eyes as I could as I stared up at him.

“Mm. Fiery. I like that.” He looked down. “You know, you don’t look like The Lost’s usual meth-head whores. You’re far too good lookin’.”

“Fuck you.” I coughed and he grimaced, leaning in closer so that I could feel his hot breath as he whispered in my ear.

“This whole tough guy act? It gotta stop. I like em’ feisty, but my crew might think I’m weak if you don’t behave.” He punctuated his sentence by digging into my leg again and I let out a whimper.

“Oh yeah, _mami_ , that’s more like it.” He breathed again, grinding his hips into mine to prove how much he was enjoying himself and drawing his head back a little so he could look me in the eyes. “This’ll be fun.”

He pushed himself back off me and addressed the crowd.

“What do you say we show this little girl some compassion, eh?” he yelled, and the bikers jeered as I tried to swallow down the hysterical panic that had started to burn in my chest. “Show her the Azteca’s can be a better time than any of The Lost scum.”

I squirmed against him, trying to free myself, but it only served to make him grin even wider. He dropped one of his hands to my chest and grabbed a handful of black fabric. With one swift motion he tore off my shirt, and I gasped as my back was suddenly pressed against the boiling hot ground. He looked down at me, his eyes dark and lustful, lips slightly parted and let out a hiss of appreciation.

“Mm, yeah baby, you definitely ain’t no Lost girl.” He said, as he trailed a finger over where the milky white swell of my breast met the black fabric of my bra. I felt the terrifying hardness of him dig into my thigh through my jeans and my bravery deserted me.  
“Please don’t.” I whispered and he laughed loudly.

“She speaks!” he cackled, before dropping his voice lower so only I could hear him. “Maybe if you’re good I might keep you, huh? What do you think about that?”

He leaned forward and ran his tongue up my cheek, and I shuddered in disgust causing him to groan again. He leaned forward, his mouth hovering just above mine before crashing into me. I squirmed harder, trying to get my face away, but he held my face still with a vice like grip. He pushed his tongue into my lips, and I opened my mouth and clamped my teeth down on it. He shoved my face away and screamed his hands going up to his mouth and coming away with blood.

“You fuckin’ bitch” he roared, and I spat a glob of bloody spittle into his face. He roared again and raised his arm up to punch me, but before I could even squeeze my eyes shut, his head exploded, splattering me in a warm layer of messy gore.

For one long moment an eery silence descended on the desert as the headless body swayed once and then crumpled to the floor.

“Fuck!” yelled one of the remaining gang members, shattering the silence, before he jerked backwards and dropped to the floor as another shot rang out, this one accompanied by the rumbling sound of an engine.

The Azteca’s scattered for cover. I wiggled out from underneath the corpse, frantically wiping my face as I shuffled backward toward my truck. Gunshots rang out and a voice roared from the somewhere in the distance.

_“COME ON TOUGH GUYS, LET'S DO THIS!”_

I heard more bodies hit the floor. My gaze darted around and landed on a butterfly knife that was tucked into the dead guys shoe and I grabbed it. The sound of the approaching truck was almost on us, and I could hear maniacal whooping as bullets whizzed through the air over my head.

One of the bikers ran past me and I grabbed onto his leg toppling him over. I threw myself onto him, plunging the knife into the side of his neck. He blinked up at me, gurgling, and I ripped it out sending a fresh splatter of blood into my face. He blinked once, then stilled and I wrenched the gun out of his limp hands, rolling onto my back and shooting an approaching biker point blank in the chest. I scrambled back pushing myself up and stumbling on my injured leg as I span around to face the truck as it skidded to a halt.

A man jumped out, and I trained my pistol on him with a trembling hand. I could feel the adrenaline start to drain from my system and it was a struggle to keep my shaking arm up. His amber eyes widened as he took me in. I wrapped my other hand around the gun, trying to keep it steady, but it was no use. I saw the world begin to spin, heard the whoosh of the air as the desert floor rushed up to meet me, but I was out cold before I hit the ground.

I woke up to a pounding in my head and a dull ache in my leg. I groaned and opened my eyes, my heart leaping into my throat as I took in the unfamiliar surroundings. I was on a bed that looked like it had seen better days and I blinked as I looked down at myself. Streaks of red covered my arms and splattered across my bare stomach. The left leg of my jeans had been cut away to show ragged stitches that crisscrossed along an angry red welt in my thigh. Bile rose in my throat as I put a hand to my hair to find it matted with blood and my fingers brushed up against something thick and dry, but still spongy. I leaned over the side of the bed and violently expelled the contents of my stomach onto the floor.

There was a sound from somewhere outside. I cursed quietly, grabbing a heavy glass bottle from the side table and tucking it beneath me before rolling over and pretending to sleep. There was a creak as the door opened and someone stepped into the room. I tried to control my breathing as the steps got closer. I felt fingertips brush my forehead and I swung. There was a clunk as the bottle collided with the man’s head and he dropped out of sight. Without hesitating, I pushed myself off the bed, lunging for the door.

My injured leg hit the floor. Sharp, immediate pain burned up my thigh and I stumbled, biting back a yelp as I fell to my knees. I tried to get up, but it was too late. The commotion had obviously caught the attention of someone else and thunderous footsteps rattled the windowpanes as I shrunk in between the bed and the cupboard, the heavy bottle raised up in front of me - the only protection I had.

“RRrrooooonnnnn!!! Is it too much to fuckin’ ask for you to keep the noise down while you babysit one, unconscious gir-” bellowed the man from the desert as he burst in, stopping mid rant as he saw me. I stared back wild eyed and his eyes held mine for a full heartbeat before flicking to the crumpled form by the bed. I gripped my weapon closer, bracing for his attack, and was completely caught of guard as he let out a whooping cackle. He sauntered over to the unconscious man, leaning down to check his pulse.

“He’s still breathing. That’s very good for you, Sugar. I don’t like it when people murder my business associates.” He said, cheerfully, heaving him up of the floor and hoisting him over his shoulder. He walked to the door and stopped to look at me.

“I’m going to take little Ronald here to sleep this off on sofa, but when I get back we’re gonna have a _loooong_ discussion about your violent tendencies.” He said with a grin, kicking the door open wider and disappearing out of it.

“Not that I’m against them.” He called back as he disappeared around the corner. There was a thud and he reappeared, lumbering up the hallway. “Just if you’re gonna deal out that kind of punishment, then pretty please let me watch.”

Instinctively I held up the bottle in warning and he laughed, leaned over and plucked it out of my hands, tossing it behind him.

“If I wanted you dead you wouldn’t be stitched up and sleeping it off in my bed, darlin’, so do us both a favour and calm the fuck down.” He said as he grabbed me under the armpits and pulled me back on the bed. The movement sent shockwaves of pain radiating from the gash in my leg and I bit my lip to hold in a gasp. He crouched down in front on me and grabbed a rag from the floor, dabbing as fresh blood seeped from between the stitches. I hissed through my teeth. His touch was surprisingly gentle, but it still fucking hurt.

“Look.” he said, glancing up at me. “Way I see it you’ve got two choices. Either you try and take me out right now, and I think we both know how that would go down, or you suck it up and trust that I ain’t trying to hurt you.”

I looked at him, feeling the fight billow out of me. He was right. I wasn’t physically capable of getting away and so far he hadn’t tried to kill me, so…

“Sure.” I breathed, trying to sound more confident than I felt. “Looks like I got no choice anyway, right?”

“That’s the spirit!” He replied, slapping his palm against his thigh, his eyes twitching and darting between mine. He flopped back so he was sat on the floor looking up at me, his arms clasping his knees.

“Where are we?” I asked, figuring that if he was as harmless as he claimed that he’d tell me.

“Where are we?!” He yelled and I flinched. “We’re in the great Sandy Shores! The last cornerstone of the American dream.” He sang and I nodded, that much made sense at least. The heat in the room was beyond stifling, which could only mean this crazy bastard lived somewhere in the desert. The desert. The guns. Shit.

“I need to get back to my truck.” I said, slowly.

He cocked his head to the side and grinned.

“No need, Sugar. I took care of it.” He said and I froze.

“What do you mean, took care of it?” I asked and his face twisted into a snarl.

“What do you think I fucking mean? _I took care of it._ ” He spat and I cringed at the venom in his voice. I’d need to be tread carefully here.

“Sorry.” I tried again, phrasing my next words carefully. “How did you know what to take care of?”

He grinned.

“Well, it’s not fucking rocket science, Cupcake. Azteca’s run a truck off the road between the water and Stab City? It’s _preeeetty_ fuckin’ easy to work out where they were meant to end up.” He said and I stared at him.

“You took them to The Lost?” I asked, and he nodded, his eyes not leaving mine.

“Prove it.” I said, before I could stop myself and his eyes darkened.

“Are you calling me a liar?” he hissed and I shuffled back on the bed, cursing my inability to think before I spoke.

“No.” I breathed. “No. Sorry. I just –“ I paused. Did I believe this guy? He’d saved my life and hadn’t threatened me yet. “I’m sorry, I do believe you. I was just... Why are you helping me?”

He hadn’t broken eye contact with me, but he did now, scratching his chin and looking up at the ceiling.

“Good question. To be totally fuckin’ honest with you, I saw them run you off the road and I followed. I figured that you might kill enough of the fuckers before they took you out and I could clear up the rest and get whatever you were runnin’ with.”

My jaw dropped at the revelation and I suddenly wished I still had that bottle.

“But when I saw that big fucker pin you down, I lost it _. I fucking lost it_. I **hate** that shit. Sure, I ain’t got a problem killing people. Hell, I’d kill you right now if I had to. But that kind of disrespect. No. Those fuckers needed to be put down.”

I stared at him, startled by his honesty.

“But why’d you take the stuff to The Lost? Why not just keep it?” I asked, almost instantly regretting it. It didn’t matter why he’d done it, all that mattered was that he had. He looked at me, seemingly equally perplexed by the question.

“To be honest, darlin’, it was kind of a ‘do now, think later’ kind of thing.” He said, slowly. “But I guess I’ve got enough fucking guns. Helps me more to get on the right side of The Lost than have a bunch of shitty pistols lying around the place. Destroys the _ambience_ , you know?”

I grinned at that despite myself and a ghost of a smile flickered over his lips.

“And I guess I figured you’d probably had a shit enough day without The Lost up your ass as well.” He finished.

My grin widened and his smile vanished.

“Oh, you think that’s fuckin’ funny, do you?” he growled, and I shook my head quickly. Whatever his motives were, he’d saved my life. I leaned over and caught his hand with mine and he looked at me, surprised.

“Thank you.” I said. He frowned shrugging off my words and looking away. I squeezed his hand tight.

“I mean it. You saved more than just my life today and I won’t forget it.” He looked back at me, uncertainty in his face and I gave him a little smile. He returned it, and for the first time I realised that under all the scars and craziness he was kind of cute. I blushed.

He frowned at me as if he was trying to work something out, and I ran my hand through my hair, forgetting about the state it was in and letting out a yelp as my fingers got stuck on a bloody clump.

He grinned.

“Don’t worry about it.” He thought for a second. “You should lay low for a while though. Azteca’s will be out for blood.” He said and I nodded, he was right about that.

“Thanks. I’ll hide out at the motel for a while until it’s safe to head back to Los Santos.” I said and he snorted.

“I didn’t pull you out of the desert so you could get wasted by some biker scum at a fucking motel. You can stay here. When Ron wakes up from his beauty sleep, I’ll send him to get your shit."

I stared at him again.

“Why?” I asked before I could stop myself.

“Why the fuck not?” he asked, rounding on me. “You know, for someone with nowhere to go you sure do ask a lot of fucking questions.”

I frowned and sighed.

“Fuck. I’m sorry. I’m just not used to people helping me.” I said quietly and he waved away my words. “Hey, while you’re on a role with this generosity thing, is there any chance I could use your shower? I think I’m going to throw up again if I have to sit in biker blood for much longer.”

He looked at me like he was only just seeing the thick layer of shit that I was covered in and he grinned, reaching over and brushing a lock of matted hair from my face.

“You sure? I think this is a good look on you.” He growled.

I laughed but when he didn’t join in, I swallowed and stood up. His eyes followed me and something in his stare made my heart beat a little bit faster. I decided to put it down to adrenaline. Anything else would be too weird.

“Bathrooms on your left.” He said, looking away. “There’s not much but help yourself to whatever shit I have in there.”

I nodded and hobbled to the bathroom where I peeled off the remains of my jeans. No easy task as they were stiff with dried blood. I turned on the shower and climbed in, wincing as the water hit the scrapes on my back. It took half a bottle of cheap drugstore shampoo and what felt like a thousand years before I felt clean enough to get out. I grabbed a fraying brown towel from the rack and wrapped myself in it.

“Shit.” I muttered under my breath as my eyes landed on the depressingly small pile of clothing that I’d taken off. I didn’t have anything else to wear and you couldn’t have paid me to put those bloody clothes back on. I opened my mouth to call out, when I realised that I didn’t even know this guy’s name. I pulled open the bathroom door.

“Um. Excuse me?” I called.

“What?” he yelled from somewhere beyond the bathroom door.

“I was wondering if I you had some clothes I could borrow. Mine are pretty fucked.” I said and I heard him scramble to his feet. He strolled past without looking in and reappeared a few moments later carrying a Love Fist tank top and some sweatpants. I hid myself as much as I could behind the door, embarrassed, as he passed them to me. As I grabbed them, his fingers brushed against the skin of my wrist and I let out a small gasp. We locked eyes for a second, bright crimson flooding my cheeks, before I dropped my gaze to the floor, muttering a quiet thanks as I closed the door. For a second there was no movement, but then I heard him stomp back in the direction he’d come.

I dressed quickly. The pants were far too big and kept slipping down over my hips, so I decided to just stick to the tank top. I figured I could keep my modesty as the fabric hung past my knees. I dried my hair as best I could with the fraying towel, took a deep breath and walked out of the bathroom to find him.

He was stretched out on the sofa when I walked in and as he looked up at me his mouth dropped open, Adams apple bobbing violently in his throat as he swallowed.

“The sweatpants didn’t fit.” I explained, as I cautiously made my way to the sofa.

“Thank fuck for that.” He said, his eyes trained on my bare legs as I sat down. He reached over and rubbed his thumb gently along the line of the wound on my thigh. I stiffened, but he seemed to be genuinely just be checking the stitches and I relaxed slightly.

“Where’s Ron?” I asked and he grinned.

“Getting your shit from the motel. But I might call and tell him not to bother. You look pretty delicious just like this.” He said, dropping his arm from my leg. I pulled the fabric of the shirt down further, trying to ignore the way my stomach flipped at his words, and stuck out my hand.

He frowned at it, his eyes darting between my eyes and my outstretched hand.

“What the hell is this?” He asked, but I could see amusement in his eyes.

“Ellie Sullivan.” I said, with a nervous smile. “I figured if you’re gonna put up with me for a while then we should probably know each other’s names.”

He grinned at me, and a wave of heat flooded to my stomach.

“Cupcake, if you keep wandering around wearing nothing but my shirts you can call me whatever you like.” He drawled and I rolled my eyes, slapping him lightly on the arm. He looked at me with something like curiosity in his eyes, but he reached out and enveloped my hand in his, tightening his grip, a predatory grin spreading over his lips.

“Trevor. Trevor Phillips.”

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The sound of a car trundling past me jolted me out of my memory. I checked my phone again and realised fifteen minutes had passed. I shook my head and grabbed my bag. He wasn’t coming.

I walked to the trunk of the car and was about to chuck my bag in when it was wrenched backward out of my hands. I spun around furiously, my hand dipping to my holster, and smacked straight into Trevor. My treacherous stomach flipped when I saw him, but I kept the emotion out of my face.

“So, you made it.” I said and he nodded. “Where’s your stuff? Or were you just planning on stealing my clothes?”

“Got plenty of stuff at my place in Vespucci Beach.” He said and slung my bag over his shoulder.

“Well that’s great for you, but I still need my things. Can you put it in the trunk?” I said and Trevor shook his head.

“Nope,” he said simply. “We’re taking my truck.”

“This is a rental. I can’t just ditch it here.” I said between clenched teeth.

“Ron will take it back. Come on.” He said without turning back and I sighed already knowing that I was beaten.

“Fine.” I called after him, “But if he doesn’t, you’re footing the fucking bill.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So, I know I promised more smut for this one BUT I needed to give a bit of context to Trevor & Ellie's relationship before we got there. Next time, I actually promise that there will be (as in, I've already written the scene!) Hope you enjoy & as always let me know any feedback or suggestions <3


	4. A Whole Lotta History

I walked to Trevor’s truck and clambered into the front seat. He tossed my bag into the back where it landed with a heavy crack. I cringed, hoping that my laptop hadn’t been the source of the noise, as he threw himself in and started the engine. We drove in silence for about half an hour. I was happy with the quiet, pressing up against the window and watching the desert zip by me in a blur of sand and dunes, but I could feel Trevor getting more and more anxious the longer we drove. He knew something was up, some part of his intuition telling him I wasn’t happy, his fidgeting and cursing worsening until I could feel his agitation vibrating between us like a physical presence. We were just out of Blaine County when he cracked, ripping the wheel to the right and tearing off the main road. We sped down a bumpy dirt track for a minute or so before he cut the ignition and the truck rolled to a stop. 

He sat there for a moment breathing heavily, before rounding on me.

“Really, cupcake? The silent treatment?” he asked, his voice low and dangerous. “Real fuckin’ mature.”

I could see him staring at me out of the corner of my eye.

“What do you want me to say, Trevor?” I said turning to look at him through my dark glasses.

“ _What do you want me to say, Trevor?_!” he imitated, scowling. “I want you to _say_ whatever’s on your goddamn mind.” I stared at him mutely and his eyes narrowed. “And what’s with those glasses, you look like a fuckin’ hipster.”

He reached over and grabbed them, pulling them off my face and chucking them over of the side of the truck in one swift movement. I met his gaze angrily and his eyebrows furrowed. He was quiet as he studied me. The redness around my eyes had calmed down but it was still obvious I’d been crying. His mouth clenched and he looked away for a moment before suddenly slamming both hands down on the steering wheel.

“Look I’m sorry, okay? Fuck!” he exploded, and I jumped.

“Okay.” I replied. It wasn’t, but what else could I say. We were still a couple of hours out of Murrieta Heights and I couldn’t handle any more of this shit. He growled and kicked open his door, leaping out of the truck and storming off a couple of paces before stooping down. He leant back into the truck holding out the sunglasses to me. I took them, surprised, and held them loosely in my hand as he stretched out, both elbows on the door, facing the dirt.

“Fuccckkk!” He groaned. I watched him cautiously as he rocked back and forward for a moment, before he stood up his hands over his face. When he looked at me the anger was gone from his face, replaced by something else. If I didn’t know better, I would almost say it was remorse.

“I’m sorry. Look, you, uh… You caught me off guard with that _Michael_ shit yesterday. I didn’t mean what I said. You’re not him, alright? You’ve never been him.” He whispered, not looking at me. I studied his face, slightly taken aback. I could probably count on one hand the amount of times that he’d apologised to me using his words, and I bit my lip as I felt it start to wobble.

“You promise?” I asked, hating the tremble in my voice as I spoke, hating feeling so fucking vulnerable. He groaned again, slamming one fist against the metal door in frustration before pulling it open and scooting over to me.

“I swear.” He said and I nodded. He reached over and cupped my face in his hands, leaning toward me so his eyes were level with mine. “I swear.” He repeated and I gave him a shaky smile, a tear escaping and rolling down my cheek.

“Please don’t fuckin’ cry.” He whispered, dipping his face to mine and kissing it away.

I froze and so did he. Such a simple, familiar gesture, but so unexpected that it made my bruised heart ache. His mouth stilled against me, his hot breath warming my skin. He turned slowly, his lips dragging, barely touching, until they were hovering millimetres from mine. His hand shifted from my cheek to the base of my neck and he pulled me to him, his mouth pressing gently into mine. He kissed me softly, a slow exploration of lips and tongues. I started crying. I couldn’t help it. Everything that I’d felt since I’d seen him at the Yellow Jack Inn bubbled over and I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

He pulled me onto his lap and cradled me there, thumbs brushing away the tears that poured from my eyes. He kissed me over and over, covering every inch of my face with his lips, murmuring fevered, broken apologies as I shook. I reached for him, burying my face into the fabric of his chest and his arms wrapped around me, tightening so that my body was completely flush against his. His cock twitched where it was pressed up against my hip and that one little movement lit a fire within me.

I wiggled slightly to get a better angle and dropped my hands to the front of his jeans, unbuttoning them. He hissed, a sharp intake of breath, looking down at me in surprise.

“What are you-“ He let out a groan as I slipped my hand beneath his underwear and wrapped my fingers around his hardening length, squeezing gently. His nails dug into my skin as I pumped my fist slowly up and down his shaft.

“God.” He moaned, helplessly, rolling his hips as he thrust into my hand. I stared up at him drinking in his expression as his gritted his teeth and shuddered. I grabbed the back of his neck and pulled his face to mine, nibbling on his lip as I moved my hand up and down, and he groaned into my mouth. I started to move my hand faster, rhythmically pulsing my hand against him, relishing the feeling of him squirming beneath me.

He ran his fingers up my arms, looping his fingers through the straps of my top and dragging the fabric down over my breasts. His breathing was shallow as his hands cupped the soft mounds, sending little beads of pleasure shooting through me as he pinched a nipple between his finger and thumb. I gasped as he pinched tighter, my hand losing its rhythm against his cock as I threw my head back and moaned at the sensations flooding my lower belly. He laughed then, a low throaty chuckle.

“You like that?” he murmured, twisting my right nipple sharply and I gasped, bucking my hips into him, my breathing erratic as I let go of his cock and grabbed his wrists.

“Trevor –“ I tried, and he twisted again. I groaned as it sent a zip of white-hot lightning straight to the sensitive nub at my core. His hand dropped to my crotch and he pressed his hand against the heat that emanated from between my legs and I let out a high-pitched noise, grinding myself into his hand.

“I bet you’re just so fucking wet right now” he hissed and I wriggled in his grasp, untangling myself from his grip and climbing up his body so that my legs were either side of his, pinning him to his seat.

He groaned as he nuzzled into my neck, fingers massaging the muscles of my lower back, as I pushed his jeans down. His teeth scraped against my skin, warm breath causing my flesh to goosepimple, before biting down sharply. I let out a yelp, the sensation making me fumble, and I felt his lips stretch into a smile. I growled and yanked down his jeans, finally managing completely free his cock. I wrapped one hand around him and squeezed again, using the other to undo my own jeans, trying to push them down. I let out a low moan of frustration as I struggled to get them off and his hands ran down to my hips, helping me push the fabric down just enough for me to manoeuvre.

I positioned myself over him and he stared at me, his eyes round and lips parted. Without speaking I lowered myself down guiding him into me with one hand, not breaking our gaze. I gasped as he filled me all the way to the hilt, the sensation almost too much, and I felt his cock twitch inside me. He shuddered, face screwed up, head rolling back against the seat of the truck.

I lifted my hips, focussing on his face as I did. His jaw was slack as he watched me with dilated, lust-filled pupils. I bit my lip and groaned as I slowly sank back down, taking him into me again. He made a strangled noise and grabbed my hips, holding me there.

“You.. you like th-that?” I asked, my breath hitching in my throat as my muscles involuntarily clenched around him as I mimicked his earlier question.

“Ellie…” he whispered, his voice raspy with need. I cut him off with my lips, crashing my mouth into his. His hands tightened around my hips and he rocked me into him, trying to keep my slow pace but eventually breaking down and frantically slamming me into me.

I gritted my teeth as every thrust hit at an impossible angle, slamming into that sensitive spot over and over, his fingers digging into my skin hard enough to bruise. I moaned against him as he pushed into me, breaking the kiss to breathe his name as that delirious burning pleasure started to build inside. I cried out as his lips found my neck and he bit me again, the sweet sharpness of his teeth mixing with the intense desire building in my stomach, and without warning I tipped over the edge.

A hot wave of pleasure shot through me and I gasped his name, my muscles contracting around him and bringing him with me as I came. He bucked into me again, grunting as his arms locking round my back pulling me to him so that I was pressed into his chest.

“Fuck – I fucking _love you_ , Ellie. I love you.” He groaned as his cock twitched inside me, spilling his load as he shuddered. 

I clutched at the fabric of his shirt trying to remember how to breath as his hands roamed my back, massaging into the muscles at the base of my spine. His breathing started to slow as he came down from the high of his climax and I knew that I should get off him, but the idea of not touching him didn’t seem like something I was remotely capable of at that moment.

We stayed like that for a few minutes before I managed to force myself to get up, half standing as I buttoned my jeans and pulled my top back up. He shuffled over making room for me to sit back down and I dropped awkwardly into my seat, my cheeks flushed. I could feel the weight of his gaze on me, and he made no move to cover himself. I dragged my eyes to meet his and I instantly wished I hadn’t. His expression was raw and searching and it pulled at my heart. I knew what he was waiting for, but I couldn’t say it. The words were there, dancing on the tip of my tongue, but I was terrified of what it would mean to say them back. Instead, I just smiled at him and leaned over to kiss him.

“Thank you.” I said, pulling back, and he cocked his head to the side, questioningly. “For apologising.” I clarified.

He shrugged, the emotion behind his eyes shutting down and he pulled up his jeans. He gripped the steering wheel tightly and started the ignition.

“Let’s get going.” He said.

He reversed down the path and pulled back onto the highway. I curled up in the cab of his truck, my head resting against the window as we drove. I didn’t mean to, but almost as soon as I closed my eyes I fell into a deep sleep, not waking up again until he shook me gently a couple of hours later. I opened my eyes and blinked at him, yawning, stretching my arms over my head.

“Hey, baby.” I said, sleepily and he raised his eyebrows in surprise. I clamped my hand over my mouth, embarrassed. “Shit, sorry.” I said, the sound muffled by my fingers.

“Don’t apologise, sweetcheeks, I like the way that sounds comin’ out of your lips.” He grinned and I blushed. I turned, pushing myself up to look around. We were in a quiet, suburban neighbourhood. I opened the door of the truck and hopped out, stretching my legs.

“So, this is where the great Lester Crest lives,” I said to no-one, as Trevor strode past me, jogging up the steps and hammering on the door. A security camera buzzed into action, focussing on him and he flipped it off.

“Open up, it’s the girl scouts sellin’ cookies.” He yelled and there was shuffling from inside before the door opened.

“I knew that would get your attention.” Cackled Trevor, barging past the pasty man at the doorway. I cringed as Lester rolled his eyes and gestured me inside.

“I didn’t realise that you would be bringing _him_.” He said.

“Why, you wanted to get her on your own? No offence, but ain’t she a bit old for you?” came Trevor’s voice from inside, and I cringed.

“I think we both know that you don’t bring Trevor anywhere he wasn’t planning on already going.” I said and Lester grimaced.

“Very true. Now get in here, quick, I don’t need any neighbours asking questions.” He replied, hobbling back in and I followed him inside past shelves that were overflowing with clutter.

Lester collapsed into a chair in front of his computer and swivelled round to face me. Trevor was leaning against a wall, hands behind his back, his eyes following me as I sat down gingerly at the edge of the single bed.

“It’s good to see you.” He said, and I smiled.

“Right back at you, Les.” I replied, ignoring Trevor’s scowl from across the room.

“Sure. Anyway, let’s get down to business.” Lester said, looking at me. “This crate. What’s in it and why do you want it so bad that you would come all the way back here to get it.”

I took a breath and held his gaze.

“I’m on a job from the Marabunta Grande.” I said and Trevor swore.

“A favour for a friend, huh?” he hissed, and Lester held up a hand to stop him talking.

“I figured that much.” He said, “What’s the job?”

“It’s like I said, there’s an Azteca crate being dropped at the port next week. The Marabunta’s want it and they’re paying me to get it for them.” I said, my voice flat.

“Mmhmm.” Said Lester, “So we both know that’s not true. The only reason that you’re getting that crate is because you want it. So, you want to tell me what’s in it?”

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“You already know, don’t you?” I said and Lester shook his head.

“No. They haven’t documented it on any system that I could find, which says a lot on its own. But if I combine that with your mysterious reappearance then I can give it a pretty good guess.” He said. Trevor pushed himself away from the wall.

“Am I the only one here not privy to this fuckin’ information?” he growled, and I blinked at him. I’d almost managed to forget he was there.

“It’s evidence.” I sighed. “Documents about people that went missing during the Azteca drug trials.” Trevor’s mouth dropped open and Lester shook his head.

“Evidence and, I’m assuming, information on their whereabouts?” Lester said and my hands clenched into fists at my side.

“Your sister.” Breathed Trevor and I met his eyes. He stared at me for a second, his tongue darting behind his bottom teeth, realisation dawning on his face.

“You’re planning on double crossing the fucking Marabunta's” He stated, incredulously, and I looked away.

“I need that information, Trevor. I need to find the people responsible.” I replied and a strange look passed over his face.

“You need to get your fucking skull checked.” He said, shaking his head at me. “What exactly do you think will fucking _happen_ when you don’t deliver that crate?”

“It doesn’t matter.” I said and he whooped, turning to Lester.

“Are you hearing this shit?” he laughed, “and you call me fuckin’ crazy.”

“I need those _fucking names_.” I hissed back and he stared at me.

“And what use will those be when you’re six feet under, huh?” he asked, and I scowled at him.

“Ellie, keep your voice down.” snapped Lester. Trevor stared at me before flicking his gaze to Lester.

“Get the guys on the phone. Get them to fucking safehouse tomorrow and we’ll plan this thing.” He said.

“Trevor I already told you I can’t pay them. I’m not giving this shit to the goddamn Marabunta’s. There’s not gonna be a pay-out.” I hissed and he ignored me.

“Get them to safehouse and come up with a fucking plan, alright.” He said, looking at Lester.

“A week. Doesn’t give us very long.” Lester replied, frowning as he looked at Trevor.

“Just do it.” He said, pushing himself away from the wall and looking at me. “Come on. Lester, we’ll see you tomorrow.”

He walked out of the room and I turned to Lester, slightly confused that I was the only one who seemed to be angry.

“What the fuck, Les?” I asked and he sighed and scratched at his chin.

“Something I thought I’d never say, but he’s right, Ellie. You’re not… thinking straight on this one.” I deflated a little at his words. “Look, I think I have an idea that can get you what you need and keep the masses at bay, but I need some time to figure it out. I’ll have something for you by tomorrow.”

I blinked at him but nodded.

“Thanks Lester.” I said.

“Don’t thank me yet.” He replied, waving me away and turning back to his computer.

I walked out into the sunshine to find Trevor already in the truck waiting for me. I climbed in beside him and he turned on the ignition, pulling out of the parking space and heading back toward the city. I was quiet for a moment as we drove and then I turned to him.

“Trevor, can you drop me at a motel?” I asked and he frowned, keeping his eyes on my road.

“No. You’re coming to Vespucci beach with me. Now that I know how fuckin’ crazy you are I’m not letting you out of my sight.” He said.

“Please, Trevor. I need some time to think.” I said, and he looked at me quickly, fear in his eyes.

“What do you need to fuckin’ think about?” he asked, and I shrugged.

“I just need some time to clear my head.” I replied. His mouth clenched but he nodded.

“Fine.” He replied. “But it’s gonna be in Vespucci beach and if you even fucking think about leaving your room, I’m gonna drag your ass back to the safehouse and keep you there ‘til this whole thing is over.”

I was suspicious that he’d agreed so quickly. But, given the fact that I’d lied to his face about the Marabunta involvement and he hadn’t lost it, I decided to count my blessings and kept quiet.

He pulled up alongside a motel that overlooked the beach and I hopped out of the truck, grabbing my bag and hovering awkwardly on the side of the road. Trevor stayed where he was, his eyes fixed ahead, elbow resting on the top of the door.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” I asked and he nodded, a barely perceptible dip of his head.

“Sure.” He murmured, his voice devoid of emotion. “I’ll send you the address.”

“Okay.” I replied and I watched him as he put the truck into gear and drove off down the road, feeling guilty as I watched him go.

I sighed and walked into the motel, checking in before letting myself into my room, showering quickly and collapsing onto the clean sheets, and falling into a deep sleep.

Or, at least, it was a deep sleep until I darted awake a few hours later, drenched in sweat. I couldn’t remember what the dream was about but seeing as I woke up with my sister’s face burned into my mind, I could give it a guess. I got up and walked to the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face. I’d said that I wouldn’t leave the motel, but I felt trapped and claustrophobic, and I had to get out of there. I grabbed my key and slipped out of the room making my way to the dark beach.

It was quiet as I walked by the ebbing surf. For a city as densely populated as Los Santos I’d assumed that there would be people out, but there was nothing but sound of the waves breaking on the shore. Not to dissimilar from the beach by the Alamo Sea. I sat down and I looked out at the inky blackness, thinking about the aftermath of the first time I’d met Trevor all those years ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading - mucho, mucho appreciated and hope you're enjoying it! More past Trevor & Ellie in the next chapter :)


	5. I Meant It Every Time

It was a couple of weeks after my run in with the Azteca’s when I’d woken up suddenly in Trevor's trailer. The night was quiet, and I rolled out of his bed and into the lounge to get a drink. I paused as my eyes fell on him, curled up on the couch and snoring gently. When he’d _informed me_ that I was going to be staying with him I’d tried to convince him to take the bed, but he wouldn’t hear of it. He’d said he could sleep anywhere, which I’d thought was an attempt at chivalry until I started living with him.

He kept crazy hours, often stumbling in drunk or high and it wasn’t unusual for me to discover him passed out in random places surrounded by empty beer bottles. I’d even woken up on more than one occasion to him next to me, arms and legs wrapped tightly around me as he slept. I couldn’t imagine how much more frequent that would be if he had to walk past me every time he came home. It was weird though. Even though he flirted with me relentlessly, there was nothing sexual in waking up next to him. Or, at least, nothing more than a bit of morning wood on his part. It seemed to be just that he was drunk and craving comfort.

I watched him for a moment, taking a sip of water and smiling as he murmured something unintelligible in his sleep. He looked so much more peaceful now than when was awake. He was crazy. That much was fucking obvious. But he was also charismatic and genuine. More caring than I think most people would ever realise. I felt that familiar flip in my stomach as he turned over, the movement dragging up his t-shirt and showing off a slither of his toned stomach.

His eyes opened suddenly locking on mine, and I jumped.

“See something you like?” he said, sleepily, and I smiled.

“Sorry. Couldn’t sleep.” I said and he yawned, pushing himself up and rubbing his eyes.

“Leg givin’ you trouble?” he asked, and I shook my head.

“Just bad dreams, I guess.” I replied. He looked at me for a moment before standing up.

“Dreams about what?” he asked, plucking the glass from my hand and downing it. I rolled my eyes. Cohabitation had already taught me he wasn’t really the ‘asking’ type.

“I don’t know.” I said, taking the glass back and putting it into the sink. “I usually have at least an idea of what my nightmares are about but this time I just kind of… woke up.” He frowned at that and cocked his head to the side.

“Tre-“ I started, but he put his hand over my mouth and listened again.

“Shit!” He swore, pulling me to the ground as bullets crashed through the air above us.

“Stay down.” He growled, grabbing a gun from beneath the sofa. There was a break in the gunfire, and he leapt up, pulling open the trailer door.

“ _WHERE ARE YOU ASSHOLES HIDING?”_ he roared, as the door slammed shut behind him.

I crouched on the floor for when felt like an eternity as gunshots and voices blared outside the trailer. There was a squeal of tires on asphalt and then silence. The trailer door burst inwards with a bang and I screamed.

“Grab your stuff. We need to go.” I stared wide eyed as Trevor staggered in dripping with blood. I blinked at him, frozen.

“Did you not fuckin’ hear me? Grab your shit and get in the fucking truck _right now_.” He roared, and I scrambled to my feet and into the bedroom, shoving my stuff into my rucksack and running out into the truck where Trevor sat. He was shaking with anger, and the truck jolted backward as we thundered out of Sandy Shores. I gulped and gripped onto the door handle tightly as he wove between other vehicles at high speeds, screaming at anyone that got in his way. We drove for what felt like an eternity before he finally pulled up outside a house that jutted out over the shoreline of Paleto Bay.

“Stay here.” He said, and he disappeared inside the house. Moments later the garage door opened, and he emerged, jogging to the truck and driving it in, closing the door behind us.

“Come on.” He said, and I followed him up the stairs into the main house. It was modern, beachy and clean, a far cry from his trailer. I crossed my arms, clutching my bag to my chest. He looked terrifying in the middle of all that normal. Like someone had gone overboard with a bucket of fake blood on a movie set. He looked at me, his eyes gleaming wildly. Pinpricks of light in all that red.

“I need to shower.” He said, his voice tight and low. “Stick to the back of the house. I’ll be down soon.” He took the stairs two at a time and I slunk into the kitchen in darkness, collapsing onto a chair at the island. It wasn’t long before he stomped into the room, hitting the light and flooding the room in sudden brightness. He’d changed into the first clean white t-shirt I’d ever seen him and a pair of soft looking navy sweats. His eyes widened as he took me in.

“Jesus.” He breathed. “You alright, cupcake?”

I shook my head at him. I’d been trying to get my breathing under control since he’d left, but even though I’d managed to calm myself down from the panic attack, my face was streaked with tears and I was shaking. He swore and crossed the room, reaching me in a couple of strides. His arms slipped around my waist and he pulled me into a hug.

“Hey, hey.” He said as I clutched at him, digging my fingers into his flesh as I regained control of my breathing. “Shh. Just breath, sugar. You’re okay.”

I let out a slow breath trying to steady myself, releasing my grip on him. His skin had white outlines of my fingerprints from where I’d clung to him and I bit my lip.

“Sorry.” I whispered and he shook his head.

“Don’t apologise, darlin’.” He replied gently, his arms still around my waist. I gave him a shaky smile and he dipped his head kissing me lightly on the cheek. I sucked in a gasp of breath and he stilled, his lips resting against my skin. He pulled away, his arms dropping from my waist but grabbing one of my hands and pulling me to my feet.

“Come on.” He said and I gazed at him.

“Come where?” I asked, my nerves still shot.

“You’re just gonna have to trust me, sugartits.” He replied with a grin, and my eyes flicked to the front of the door.

“What about the Azteca’s?” I asked and he shrugged.

“If they were following us, they’d have been here by now.” He turned, my hand still clasped in his and pulled me to the French doors at the back of the house. It was only four am, but the sky was already starting to lighten on the horizon. He slid open the door and we walked down rickety wooden steps to the beach front. He gave my hand a squeeze and dropped it, disappearing into a shed beneath the steps. I heard the growl of an engine and moments later he rolled out of the shed on a black quad bike.

I clapped my hands in delight and beamed at him. Sure, I wasn’t a massive fan of bikers at this exact moment in time, but I loved bikes. Although as I studied it, I was pretty sure that it was only built for single person use.

“Trevor, that’s so cool!” I said and he grinned at me.

“Then what the fuck are you waiting for. Get on.” He said, throwing me a helmet and grinning. I caught it and clipped it under my jaw, slipping onto the bike behind him. I was right when I’d thought that it wasn’t built for two. I had to squeeze right up behind him, pressing my chest against his back, to be able to fit. I clasped my arms around his stomach to hold on and the movement hiked his shirt up slightly, the bottom of my arms brushing against his warm skin. He tensed a little, but didn’t say anything, instead kicking the bike into gear and zooming forward.

I let out a peal of laughter as he drove us down the bumpy beach, tearing in and out of the surf, splashing us both in the cold seawater. We drove like that for ages, nothing but the sounds of the gulls, the engine and my giggles until he finally pulled to a stop at a place where the sand stretched out into a little peninsula in the sea.

He smacked my uninjured thigh and I clambered off the bike, none to gracefully, feeling dizzy from exhilaration. He turned off the ignition and swung his leg over the bike, turning to face me. The wind whipped at my hair as I undid my helmet, the rising sun behind Mount Chiliad painting the sky a dusty pink. I could feel that my eyes were dancing, and I laughed again as I stared at our surroundings. It was fucking beautiful.

I dragged my eyes away from it and they landed on his. He was standing still, staring at me like he’d never seen me before. He reached out, his hands resting on my hips, and pulled me toward him. My heart hammered in my chest as he stood there, watching, waiting for me to react. I smiled at him and pushed myself up onto the balls of my feet, flinging my arms around his neck and pressing my cold lips against his. The wind danced around us, and he pulled me closer until all I could feel was the cool breeze at my hair, the warmth of his body against mine and the taste of him as he kissed me. 

\- - - - - - - - - - -

I jumped, startled out of my memory as someone sat down on the beach next to me. I didn’t need to look to know who it was.

“I told you not to leave the fucking motel.” He growled, shifting in the sand, drawing his legs up and clasping his hands around his knees.

“How did you know?” I asked and he shrugged.

“How do you think?” he replied, yawning out the words. “You never do what I fuckin’ tell you. Figured this time would be no different.”

I looked over at him then. He’d changed into a red flannel shirt and jeans, and he looked as tired as he sounded.

“I’m sorry.” I said and he stiffened next to me.

“What for?” he asked, and I sighed.

“For everything. For leaving. For coming back. For not coming back.” I said. “You were right when you said nobody forced me to leave San Andreas.”

He was quiet for a moment and I braced myself for his response.

“No, I wasn’t.” he replied, and my eyes widened. “I forced you. I fuckin’ know that.”

My jaw dropped. I was prepared for many things when it came to Trevor but an admission of guilt, let alone on the same day as an apology, was unheard of. He watched my face and broke into a grin.

“Is it really that fuckin’ surprising that I can admit when I’m wrong?” he asked, teasingly and I shook my head.

“Trevor, you’ve literally never said that you were wrong before.” I replied, when I’d managed to pick my jaw up off the floor, and he frowned.

“Well, maybe I’ve grown alright? Five fuckin’ years is a long time, cupcake.” He snapped, and I hid a grin. That was more like the man I knew.

“I came back, you know?” I said, my admission surprising both of us.

“Fuck off.” He spluttered, staring at me. “When?”

“A few months after I left.” I replied, regretting opening my stupid mouth. “After your, uh, accident.”

He looked down, cracking his knuckles, and was quiet for a long moment.

“Why?” He asked, finally.

“I needed to see you. Needed to check you were okay.” I whispered. “The day I left I was so sure that I was doing the right thing by you, but after I heard about the overdose, I felt like I was going out of my mind. I just kept thinking about you in that trailer, alone. So, I caught a flight to Los Santos and drove to Sandy Shores.”

I paused, the memory of seeing him all those years ago burned into mind like it was yesterday.

“I went to the Yellow Jack Inn. I knew that you’d go there eventually and when I saw you, you changed my mind about everything. You looked better than you had in ages, stronger, somehow more confident. I waited for you to leave and then I went inside and spoke to Janet. She told me that you’d kicked the heroin and were now ‘ _contributing to society’_. Whatever that fucking means.” I said, smiling at him, but he just stared back at me, mouth hanging open slightly. “So, I left. It just cemented my original decision. I’d been so fucking haunted that leaving had made everything worse and that you’d just become even more reckless. I’d been terrified that the next time I heard your name it would be from someone telling me you’d been killed… or worse. But after I saw you, I realised that you were okay, better even, without me.” I sighed, wrapping my arms around my knees like he had and resting my head into the crook of my elbow as I stared at him.

“But I didn’t stop thinking about you. I used every connection I ever made to find out about how you were doing, and you just seemed to go from strength to strength. Until suddenly, I was hearing about some new king pin in San Andreas running guns and drugs out of Blaine County. Trevor Philips Industries. Heard of it?” I asked, shooting him a small smile. He didn’t return it, just kept his eyes fixed on my face as I spoke. “I knew then that I could never go back. You’d made a life for yourself. Moved on from North Yankton. I couldn’t risk coming back and fucking that up for you all over again, so I stayed away.” I finished, turning my head and looking out to sea. The lights of boats way out in the ocean blinked and dipped in the sea. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a strangled noise as he cleared his throat.

“I was never better without you.” He said, once he was able to speak again and I rolled my eyes. Trust him to pick up on that and ignore the rest. He grabbed my arm and pulled me, so I was facing him.

“Don’t roll your fucking eyes at me.” He said angrily, and I gulped, not realising he’d seen. “I’m serious. Why the hell do you think I did all this shit, huh?”

I frowned at him, his dark eyes burning into my hazel ones.

“This feels like a trick question, Trevor.” I said, doubtfully. “It’s who you are.”

“It’s who _we are_ , cupcake.” He said, slowly, keeping his eyes locked on mine. “And yeah, it’s what I do, but it’s also what I needed to do.”

My heart pounded in my chest and I started to shiver.

“Needed to do for what?” I asked, my voice barely audible.

“You know what.” He said, shaking his head. “I went looking for you in Liberty City last year. I’d driven the fuckin’ Azteca’s outta Blaine County. The business was doing well. Figured I might have a shot at convincing you to come back.” He stated and I gasped, surprise and anger battling inside me for a moment before I smacked my hand into his arm as anger won.

“That was stupid and dangerous.” I hissed, “You’re a fucking felon. You’re on the run. If you’d been caught…” I reached up to hit him again and he caught my wrist in his hand.

“I wasn’t going to get fucking caught, sugar.” He said, letting me go and rubbing his arm. “I was careful.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, but he didn’t react.

“How did you find me?” I asked without thinking and he raised his eyebrows.

“How do you fuckin’ think?” He replied and I shook my head.

“Lester.” I said and he nodded.

“Never underestimate how quickly that creep will turn on you for money, cupcake.” He said and I sighed, pissed off but still curious. I watched and waited for him to continue.

“I went to your street and waited at that shitty hipster place across from your apartment.” He said, looking down at the sand, and my mouth dropped.

“You were at Campbell’s?” I asked, trying to picture him, dusty and angry, surrounded by the Liberty City elite at the trendy café opposite my apartment. If I weren’t so shocked, I probably would have laughed. I couldn’t imagine anything less Trevor.

“Yeah. Terrible fuckin’ place. Don’t know how you stand it.” He said with a grimace. “I sat there for hours, watching your front door, waiting for you to leave. And then you did. I only saw you for a second before you were swallowed up by the fuckin’ city but it was like a punch in the gut. Not gonna lie, even that glimpse of you gave me a semi.”

The idea of him being there, so close to me, and me not being able to sense it somehow plucked at my heart a little, and I stared at him as he kept his eyes fixed downwards. His throat worked and he swallowed before he continued.

“I broke into your apartment.” He said. “I don’t know what I was planning. I was just doing, you know?” I nodded. I should have been pissed that he’d invaded my space, but I knew that he wasn’t always able to think shit through. That’s just how he was. He looked at me then, and his eyes were haunted.

“I almost lost it when I walked in. It was like you’d shat a piece of your fuckin’ soul into that place. And that hurt. I got so fucking angry. Like I had spent all that time trying to become better a man. For you, might I fucking add, and you didn’t even fuckin’ need me. Weren’t ever planning on coming back.” His voice cracked and he paused as he regained his composure. “I saw red. I went into a fuckin’ rage. Stormed into your bedroom ready to tear it apart. I yanked open the door to a closet and the first thing I saw was that fucking box. Up on a shelf like some fucking shrine.”

I froze, knowing exactly what he was talking about. I had found this box made from driftwood in the shed on the beach at Paleto Bay and I’d filled it with photos and stuff that reminded me of us. Trevor had thought it was stupid, so I’d taken it with me when I left. He looked at me for confirmation and I nodded, my throat dry.

“I mean the first thing I found was my Impotent Rage action figure, you little fuckin’ thief, and that _really_ did not help things.” He said, but he was grinning, and I blushed. “But then I went through it and saw all that… stuff.” He paused, shifting uncomfortably in the sand.

“I don’t think I’d ever realised how much I’d hurt you until I found that stupid fuckin’ box.” He said with a sigh. I shook my head and reached out my hand, wrapping it around his and squeezing.

“I hurt you too, Trev. It wasn’t a one-way street.” I whispered.

“Yeah. What a fuckin’ pair we are, right?” He said with a sad smile and I bit the inside of my cheeks trying to contain the emotion that look triggered inside me. “I was kneeling on the floor surrounded by all that shit when I heard you in the hall. I put everything back in the box and slipped into the closet. You were laughing on the phone as you let yourself in and that felt like a fuckin’ knife to the fuckin’ chest. I don’t think I could remember the last time I’d made you laugh.”

He shook his head, jaw clenching as he looked out at sea.

“That’s when I decided to get the fuck out of there and leave you alone. I mean, I always fuckin’ knew that you could do better than me. Just fuckin’ _look_ at you. But I never realised that you _deserved_ someone better. Someone that made you fuckin’ laugh. And Christ did that fuckin’ _suck_.” He trailed off and I gripped his hand waiting for him to finish.

“I waited for you to fall asleep before I left. I watched you for a little, trying to remember every single fucking part of you, but I was scared I wouldn’t be able to, so I took this.”

He shuffled slightly, making space for him to slip his hand into his pocket and pulled out a battered leather wallet. He flipped it open and pulled out a crumpled photo. My heart skipped a beat as I recognised it. It was a polaroid of the two of us on the beach at Paleto Bay. I had my arms wrapped round him, pulling him to the water and he was glaring at me with a mixture of love and irritation. It was my favourite picture. I took it from him, my heart pounding in my chest.

“I thought I lost this.” I said quietly and he just shrugged.

“Yeah. Well now you know you didn’t.” He replied.

I swallowed and shuffled right up next to him, feeling the line of heat from his body as it pressed against mine. I felt him swallow, but he slipped his arm around me, pulling me closer as I rested my head on his chest. His heart was pounding below the fabric of his t-shirt and I took a deep breath.

“You know, I’ve never loved anyone like I love you.” I said and he stiffened.

“Love or loved?” he asked, his voice barely audible over the sound of the breaking surf. I turned to face him and smiled.

“Trevor Philips, you know how I feel about people asking me questions they already know the answer to.” I said, mimicking one of his favourite phrases, but he just stared at me, his eyes tired and sad.

“I don’t know, Ellie.” He said. “I really don’t fucking know.”

My heart sank and I scooted out from beneath his arm, turning and straddling his lap. I pushed him back gently into the sand and he let me, lying down and looking up at me, moonlight reflected in his eyes. I dipped my head down and kissed him, my mouth moving gently against his as his arms tightened around me. After a while I pulled away, tilting my head against his in the darkness.

“Tell me what you said yesterday.” I murmured, and he frowned at me for a moment.

“I said a lot of things yesterday.” He said, uncertainly.

“After I kissed you.” I said and he stared at me.

“You don’t get to kiss me like that unless you fucking mean it.” He whispered, his eyes searching my face. I brought my lips back to his, just a fraction of a salty sea air between us.

“I meant it every time.” I breathed, closing the distance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually in love with Trevor and Ellie <3 hopefully it all works out for them...!!
> 
> Thanks so much to you all for reading/commenting/kudos-ing. It really makes my day.


	6. Equilibrium

Trevor looked up at me from where he lay in the sand as I moved my head away, breaking the kiss and coming up for air. His face was still, and his eyes were peaceful. He reached up and brushed a calloused thumb across my cheekbone.

“You know I’m still gonna need you to say it, sweetcheeks.” He said, gently, and I swallowed, my breathing still irregular from the kiss.

“I love you, Trevor.” I breathed and he let out a contented sigh, closing his eyes.

“Say it again.” He said, his lips curling at the corners.

“I love you.” I replied, smiling.

“Again.” He growled and I rolled my eyes.

“I fucking love you, okay.” I replied and he laughed, opening his eyes and for the first time there was none of that dark sadness hiding behind them. I beamed at him.

He grabbed my waist and rolled us over, so he was pinning me to the ground, and I smiled at him as he looked down at me. He dipped his head down and I closed my eyes expecting a kiss, but he bypassed my lips, his mouth landing at my ear as he buried his face into my hair and inhaled. When he spoke again his hot breath made me shiver and I jerked against him as he nibbled at my ear lobe.

“I fuckin’ love you too.” He said, his hands running up my sides, thumbs just grazing the sides of my breasts and I whimpered, my nipples hardening and pressing against his chest through the thin fabric of my shirt “I fucking _love_ how you feel beneath me.” He slipped one hand below my shirt, slowly pushing up the fabric, only stopping when it was just showing the underside of my soft white mounds. He trailed a finger slowly back and forth, barely touching my exposed skin and I jerked against him again, breath hitching in my throat.

“I fuckin _loooooove_ how you sound when I touch you.” He groaned, a low, throaty noise. “How you feel when you _struggle_.”

I bucked against him helplessly my hips grinding into his as he pinned me down. He laughed into my ear, that dirty, growling sound that dragged another gasp out of me.

“Mm, yeah. **Just** like that.” He hissed, brushing his thumbs further up my breasts circling my nipples beneath the fabric of my shirt but not touching them. I gasped again, needing more, but he just laughed at me and dropped his head to my chest. He pulled up my top, the cold night air flicking over my already tight nipples. He dragged his tongue from the little dip at the base of my throat, licking down between the valley of my breasts and stopping where my shorts clung to my hips. My breath was coming faster now as he gently pushed my legs apart, resting his mouth over my mound. I groaned as he covered me through my shorts and blew hot air through the fabric, my head falling back against the sand as I lifted my hips to him.

He chuckled and raised his eyes to look at me. I tried to catch my breath as he replaced his mouth with his hand, rubbing me through the fabric, and I bit my lip trying to rock into him, the sensation only a fraction of the friction that I needed. He pressed harder against me and I moaned.

“You want more?” he asked, kneeling between my legs. His hand stilled as he looked at me. At that angle I could see the outline of his hard cock straining against his jeans and I nodded, suddenly desperate for him.

“Please.” I said, my voice shaky with need and he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, shuddering, before fixing them back on me. “Please touch me.” I breathed, wrapping my legs around him, desperate to get back the friction. He pushed himself against me, grinding into me once and letting out a groan as I gasped before he pulled himself away.

“Where,” he asked, his voice a little unsteady now, “Show me.”

I grabbed his hand that was resting on my waist and pulled it up, manoeuvring so that he was cupping my breast. He moved his other hand, mimicking my actions, and I cried out as he gently pinched both nipples. He grinned.

“Fuck, you’re so fuckin’… delicious.” He said as I squirmed, looking at him desperately as he pinched again, harder this time. He dipped his head forward, pulling a nipple into his hot mouth and rolling it around on his tongue. I bucked violently against him and he gripped my other breast, squeezing almost painfully and I wrapped my legs around his waist, groaning as that heat started to burn in my lower belly.

He let go of me suddenly, sitting back on his heels, his hands resting gently on my lower abdomen as he stared at me through dark eyes. His breathing almost as irregular as mine.

“Where else?” he asked, as he trailed his hands lower, gently pulling down the silky fabric of my shorts, and letting out a groan when he realised that I wasn’t wearing any underwear. I reached out a trembling hand and placed his hand on me, just the feel of his hand there making me shiver. He sat there passively, one hand resting on my thigh and the other pressing lightly against my entrance. I frowned at him.

“I said _show me_ , sugar.” He said, his voice was calm, but I could hear the edge to it. Knew that he was almost coming undone. I bit my lip and held his gaze as I trailed my own hand down my chest, pushing his away when I reached it. I ran a finger up my slit, feeling the heat and the wetness there as I kept my eyes trained on him. His eyes darted between my pussy and my face as I moved, dipping two fingers between the folds, stretching them apart and exposing myself. He made a low throaty noise as I started to move one finger in small, tight circles around the pearl of my clitoris and he growled, moving his hand to his jeans, and palming himself through the fabric.

“God, you’re so fucking _beautiful_.” He hissed, his voice straining as I continued to massage myself, my hips rocking forward involuntarily, gasping, as that sweet pleasure started mounting at my fingertips. Slowly, I withdrew my fingers and held them out to him. His eyes darkened and he grabbed my wrist, taking them into his mouth, and I shuddered, closing my eyes as he sucked them clean. He growled, dropping my hand and undoing his jeans, freeing himself.

He slipped one arm beneath my leg and lifted so that my thigh was resting on his shoulder, shuffling his hips so that his cock was in position. He stayed like that for a long moment, his tip just pushing at my entrance, his eyes boring into mine in the darkness. Then, slowly, he pushed himself into me. I groaned, the sensation of him filling me exactly what I’d needed. He began to rock in and out of me, gently at first but then harder. I grabbed his face, holding his forehead to mine, drinking him in as he fucked me.

The burning got darker, the feeling more intense as I felt him start to lose pace, the beat of our rhythm getting wilder as he got closer to the brink, groaning my name. I cried out suddenly, the intense wave of orgasm crushing into me as he hit that spot deep inside me. I dug my fingers into his back, scraping my nails down his skin, hot walls clenching around him.

“Fuck. Fucck.” He hissed as he bucked into me again. “I fuckin’... I love you. I fuckin-“ His words were cut off by a groan and he shuddered as he came. I gasped as he slammed into me twice, twitching inside me as I felt the spread of his warmth in my belly. He dropped his head down against my shoulder, panting, the sweat from his forehead cold against my damp skin. I wrapped my arms around him my hands tracing patterns in the fabric of his shirt as his heart hammered against his chest, slowly returning to normal.

He lifted himself up, one hand pressed into the sand by my head for support and kissed me, a deep, sloppy mashing of tongues. He broke away and grinned.

“Fuck me.” He said, “I haven’t cum that hard in a _loooong_ time.” He groaned as he looked down at my still naked body and pulled out, his cock half deflated. “You are a real fuckin’ treat, you know that?”

He pulled up his jeans and sat back, pulling me up toward him. I smiled, shuffling my shorts up over my hips.

“You’re not so bad yourself.” I said, my voice still a little breathy and my cheeks flushed.

I reached to pull my top down, but he grabbed my wrists, holding them, his eyes staring at my still naked breasts. He groaned again, moving his head so that he was resting between them. Then, suddenly, he exhaled shaking his head from side to side as he blew a raspberry against my skin. I jolted backward in surprise.

“Did you just fucking motorboat me?” I asked, my mouth open in outrage and he grinned, releasing my wrists, and holding his hands up in defence.

“I couldn’t not cupcake. They were beggin’ for it. They just look. So. Good. Come on. Come to Uncle T.” he exclaimed, reaching for me again.

I giggled and dodged his grasp, pulling the fabric down to cover myself.

“That’s not very fuckin’ nice of you.” He grumbled, pouting as I laughed, clambering to my feet, and holding out a hand to help him up. He took it and pulled me roughly against him.

“Please don’t go back to the motel.” He whispered, his voice urgent, and my eyes widened at his sudden change of tone. “Stay with me.”

I tried to look up at him, but he was gripping me against his chest so tightly that I could barely move. His need to not be alone was so strong that I could feel the desperation rolling off him in waves.

“Okay, Trevor.” I agreed and he shivered.

“Mmm. The way you say my name, sugar.” He growled into my ear, his tone changing so quickly that I felt a bit dizzy. “Give a man all kinds of bad ideas.” I smiled up at him, rocking myself forward onto my tiptoes and kissing him lightly on the cheek.

“Oh yeah?” I said, my hands slipping back to grab his ass and squeezing. “You can tell me about them sometime.” He snapped his teeth at me and growled, grabbing my hand as he led me down the beach. His grip tightened as we passed the motel, as if he was scared that if he didn’t hold on to me, I was going to change my mind and go back to my room. We were a few meters past the motel when I paused, looking around.

“Hey. Where are we going? Where’s your truck?” I asked, and he grinned, pointing across the road to an apartment complex. I squinted in the darkness to see the outline of his truck parked beneath it. I looked behind us at the motel, just a few meters away.

“I knew you agreeing so quickly to let me stay somewhere else was weird.” I said, rolling my eyes as realisation dawned.

“Well, I was fucking right, wasn’t I? You were only in there for a couple of hours before doing exactly what you’d said you wouldn’t.” He said with a shrug, letting go of my hand and slinging his arm over my shoulder as he led me across the road and up the stairs to the apartment.

He opened the door and shoved me gently inside. My mouth dropped open. The place was a wreck. A motif on the wall that was supposed to read “Live, Love, Laugh.” had been vandalised with the words “EAT, SHIT, DIE”, and almost everything in the apartment was trashed. I swallowed and turned back to him.

“Jesus, Trevor. What happened here? Whose house is this?” I asked and he looked around, almost like he was seeing it for the first time.

“Mine.” He said, ignoring my first question and grabbing onto my shoulders, pushing me against the wall. “Stay here.”

I looked around doubtfully.

“It doesn’t look like your...” I paused for a second, knowing he could fly off the handle if it sounded like I was accusing him of anything. “usual décor.” I finished. He stepped away from me, his dark eyes darting between mine, sensing something in my tone that he didn’t like.

“I picked it up at a police auction, _cupcake_.” He growled, “The _previous owner_ suffered from a bad case of being shot in the head for being a _fucking **asshole**_.”

“Right.” I said, a lick of fear curling in my stomach as he scowled at me, fists clenching at his sides.

“Just shut your mouth for one damn second and wait here.” He snapped, pivoting and storming into a room to our right. I heard banging, grunting and the sound of closet doors being slammed before he reappeared and grabbed my hand again. He pulled me into the room, and I looked around. Compared to the hovel that was the rest of the apartment it looked like paradise. It was suspiciously devoid of stuff. Every surface was clear and, apart from a few grubby stains on the carpet, it looked clean.

He pulled his shirt off and kicked off his jeans before flicking off the light and rolling onto the bed, holding his arms out to me. I sat down cautiously suddenly feeling a bit nervous. He immediately sensed my hesitation.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, and I could hear a dangerous edge to his voice.

“Nothing.” I replied quickly and he groaned.

“Don’t fucking _lie_.” He growled and I turned a little so I could see him, a dark outline against the neon light that filtered in through the uncovered patio doors. Whatever he saw in my face must have reassured him of something because his features softened. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. Everything’s happening kind of fast, I guess. I’m just a bit tense.” I said quietly and his eyebrows shot up. He blinked at me for a moment and then leaned forward and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me toward him.

“Five years ain’t ‘ _fast’_ , sugar.” He said, as his hands fell to my hip, dragging my body to him until my back was pressed against his chest. He nuzzled into my hair and breathed in. “In fact, I’d say it’s a pretty long fucking time.”

I sighed.

“I haven’t…” I trailed off and he squeezed the hand that rested on my hip.

“Haven’t what,” he asked, sleepily.

“I haven’t actually _just slept_ next to anyone since I moved to Liberty City.” I said and I felt him stiffen behind me.

“What?” he asked, his voice suddenly clear.

“I don’t know. I guess it just felt a bit too intimate for me.” I said, feeling my cheeks burn. His arms tightened around me.

“You haven’t fucked anyone since me?” His voice was even but there was something in it that I couldn’t quite work out. I nudged my elbow gently into his stomach.

“No, I’m not saying that Trev. I’m only human.” I said with a laugh that came out more anxious than anything else. “I just… The intimate stuff. Sleeping next to someone. Being with someone. That kind of thing. I guess I just wasn’t ready to move on.” I finished quietly. I didn’t say what I wasn’t ready to move on from, figuring he could work that out without me having to spell it out for him.

He didn’t say anything, but I could feel him shuddering, his breath coming in quiet huffs, shifting the hair at my ear.

“Trevor?” I tried, but there was no response, just his arms tightening even harder. “Jesus, Trevor, you’re hurting me.” I said, pushing at his arms. He loosened his grip immediately and I rolled around to face him. His lip was trembling, and his eyes were shining. My stomach dropped.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, pulling him closer, my arms wrapping around his broad back as he shuddered again, but shook his head.

“Nothin’.” He said, his voice thick with emotion and I looked at him. A spark of fear flashed in his eyes as they met mine and then it was gone, carefully shuttered away before I could work out if it had even really been there. He wiped his face on the pillow and tugged at my clothes, but I put my hands over his to stop him.

“Please tell me what’s wrong, Trevor.” I said, suddenly scared.

“It’s fuckin’ nothing, alright? Fuck.” He snapped and I froze as he turned and groaned into his pillow. “Please cupcake, it’s nothing. Really. I just got a bit damn emotional okay. Now, will you pretty please just drop it, take off your clothes and fucking hug me?” he asked, his voice muffled by the fabric, but I could hear it clearly now, that tinge of fear to his voice. I paused for a second, before kicking off my shorts, pulling my t-shirt over my head and pressing myself against his warm skin. I couldn’t work out what he was so scared of, but there was no point pushing it now. He would tell me when he was ready and trying to force it now would just end up in another argument.

I wrapped my arms around him, forcing him to be the little spoon and kissed him gently between his shoulder and I felt his muscles relax as he realised that I wasn’t going to push it any further. He was silent for a long while, and I started to drift off, enjoying the feel of his sleepy warmth radiating into my skin.

“I love you.” He whispered suddenly, his voice cracking, breaking the quiet stillness of the room.

I frowned against his back, breathing is his dusty heat, hugging him closer to me.

“Love you too, baby.” I murmured. I was just drifting off again when my eyes shot open as I had a flash of realisation. The look in his eyes hadn't been fear.

It was guilt. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ellie and Trevor smut <3 <3 <3 ...Although, I wonder what Trevor has to feel guilty about? 
> 
> Thanks so much for reading! Next chapter will be more about their upcoming job, plus we meet Michael and Franklin!
> 
> Also, in case anyone's interested, I was listening a lot to The Way I Tend To Be, by Frank Turner whilst writing this chapter - I feel like it sums up how Trevor feels about Ellie <3


	7. Unwelcome Surprises

I woke up to an unfamiliar feeling. Rough hands wrapped around my naked waist and a hairy leg draped over mine, pinning me in place. I squinted at the bright light that beamed through the balcony doors straight onto my face and rubbed my eyes. Trevor was snoring softly beside me clinging onto me, even in sleep. There was a loud buzzing next to my face and I jumped, realising that it wasn’t just the sun that had woken me. I reached out to Trevor’s phone that was lying on the pillow next to my face, wondering briefly when he’d retrieved it, as I picked it up.

Lester’s name was flashing on the screen and I swiped up to answer it.

“Hey.” I said, my voice croaky from sleep.

“Ellie?” his nasally voice rung loudly down the phone.

“Yep.” I replied, trying to move away from Trevor to avoid waking him, but his grip tightened on me, pulling me closer.

“I thought I called Trevor.” He said, his voice quizzical and I sighed.

“You did, Les. What’s up?” I yawned.

“Old habits die hard, I guess.” He chuckled. “In any case, it suits me that the two of you are together. Are you at his place in Vespucci?” He asked and I nodded, before remembering that he couldn’t see me.

“Depends. By his place do you mean the place that clearly isn’t his on the corner of Goma Street?” I asked and he laughed again.

“That’s the one. Sit tight, we’ll be over in an hour.” He said. I looked down at the arms that were wrapped tightly around me, smiling at thought of being able to do anything other than that.

“Sure thing, Lester. See you then.” I said and I heard the call cut off with a beep. I dropped the phone back onto the pillow, moving my hands down, gently trying to disentangle myself from the sleeping man next to me. His grip was like iron, but eventually I managed to force his arms apart just enough to slip out of his grasp. I was almost free when he reached for me again, dragging me back across the bed and pulling me against him.

“Heyyyyy, _cupcake_.” he yawned, his arms tightening around me. “Where d’ya think you’re goin’, huh?”

“I have to shower. Lester’s gonna be here in an hour and I still need to pick up my stuff from the motel.” I said.

“I can think of a much better way to spend your time, sugar.” He murmured in my ear and I laughed, trying to move his hands away. He groaned, pulling me closer.

“I have to shower.” I repeated, closing my eyes, enjoying the feel of his naked skin against mine, wiggling closer despite my protests.

“Why?” he asked, dipping his head, and planting soft kisses along my neck, his hand curling around my body. I shuddered, feeling that familiar heat uncoiling in my belly, as he sleepily massaged my breast.

“Because that’s what people do.” I said, but it came out breathy as he rocked his hips gently into me, pushing his growing erection into my ass.

“And _other people_ like their girl to be in bed next to them when they wake up.” He grumbled into my ear, sending little whispers of electricity straight to my groin.

“Their girl, huh?” I said, trying to make light of it, but he didn’t say anything, just nibbled at my earlobe and rocked into me again as he rolled my nipple between his fingers. I gasped and pushed back into him. His trailed his hand down my side, slipping it over my stomach and between my legs. I bit my lip as he kept his hand there for a second, before slipping his index finger in the already moist slit and tracing slow, gentle circles around my clit.

I squirmed against him, trying to make him speed up as he continued the torturously slow movements between my thighs, and he laughed.

“Use your words, sugar.” He breathed into my ear and I moaned.

“Faster.” I said.

“Faster what?” he asked, and I bit my lip.

“Faster, please?” I tried and he growled, slowing down.

“Faster **what**.” He repeated and I groaned in frustration.

“Faster, Trevor.” I tried again.

“Fuck.” He growled, bucking into me harder, leaving little trails of wetness over my ass where the head of his cock dragged against my skin.

My breath was coming in short bursts as he started to move his fingers faster, slipping his other arm around me to hold me still, hand squeezing my breast as he bucked himself into me. Pleasure was swirling in my core, an intense whirlwind of sensation, building in flashes of lightning.

“Trevor.” I moaned “Please don’t stop, j-just like that.” I could barely breath from the pressure of my approaching orgasm.

“You sound so good baby.” He growled into my ear and I gasped, the sound of his throaty voice in my ear pushing me over the edge. As the wave of pleasure broke over me, I bucked against him, moaning his name as he continued to rub firm circles at my sensitive core. He held me in place as I writhed beside him, riding the wave of my orgasm. When I was finally done, he moved his hand, slipping it between my thighs and holding them apart as he shifted behind me. Moments later I felt his hot shaft at my entrance and then he was pushing himself into me and I gasped in pleasure.

He groaned, hands going to my hips as he slid into me until he was buried up to the hilt. He pulled out slowly and I gasped, moving my hips against his. I felt him grin.

“Always so damn impatient.” He said and I whimpered. He increased his tempo, drawing out of me quickly and then slamming back down. I gasped from the combination of pleasure and pain as he hit that spot deep within me over and over. He was tensing now, and I could feel how close he was. I shivered, feeling my own pleasure resurge, his fingers digging into my hips as he drilled into me from behind. I reached down, swirling my fingers around my sensitive nub as he slammed into me and suddenly it was too much.

I came hard, clenching around him and he swore before I felt him twitch and shudder as he met his own release. His fingers dug into my skin so hard that I gasped from the pain, the sensation joining the last of my orgasm as he rocked into me a couple more times, before pulling out.

His arms moved up wrapping around me again and pulling me back into him. I closed my eyes, and grabbed onto his arms, hugging them to me as my breathing slowly evened out. He was murmuring something into my ear so low that I could barely make it out.

“I love you. I fucking love you.” He was whispering and I smiled. I tapped on his arms, indicating that he needed to let me go and his arms clenched tighter.

“Come on baby, I need to shower.” I whispered and he shook his head. I laughed and squirmed around in his arms until I was facing him.

He stared at me, his arms still tight around me as his amber eyes bored into mine. I moved my face towards his so that I could kiss him gently. He closed his eyes and shivered as I deepened the kiss, my arms snaking round him so that I was holding him just as tightly as he was holding me. I broke away and moved my arm up to his face, brushing my thumb over his cheek bone. He opened his eyes and I smiled again.

“I love you, too.” I said, kissing him again quickly, and a smile broke over his lips, “But I do have to get up.”

He groaned but he reluctantly released his grip on me.

“I’m gonna grab a shower. Do me a favour and stay here, okay? I’ll be quick.” I said.

He grunted once and rolled over onto his stomach, star fishing out in the bed, the covers just low enough to show the dimpled curves of his back. I smiled at him, surprised that he’d agreed, and then wandered out of the room looking for the bathroom. 

The bathroom was gross. It looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in months. Somewhere under all the grime I could tell that this place had once been thoughtfully decorated, but whoever had been responsible for the love and care that had been put into the place was obviously long gone. I sighed again and pulled back the shower curtain, jumping backward as an open-mouthed sex doll almost fell onto me as the curtain moved.

“Jesus.” I whispered as I looked at it. I needed to shower but there was no fucking way I was getting in there with that thing. I picked up a filthy towel from the floor and gingerly wrapped it around the plastic skin, picking it up and dragging it out into the hall. I chucked it onto the floor and stared at it for a second. This was pretty bad, even for Trevor. I went in search of something to dry myself and found a pile of mercilessly untouched towels in broken cupboard opposite the bathroom. I grabbed a couple and wrapped one around myself, walking back to the bathroom and turning on the heat. I turned the tap on at the sink trying to wash it down as best I could before I set down the towel and climbing into the shower.

The heat was soothing, and I tried not to think about my surroundings as I let the water wash over me. I opened my eyes, looking for anything that I could use to clean myself and my eyes widened in delight as I saw a couple of bottles of expensive shampoo and conditioner. I popped the cap off one and sniffed it experimentally. The rich, fruity smell was heaven compared to the stench of the apartment and I lathered it up and massaged it through my hair, first the shampoo and then the conditioner, enjoying the feel of the last couple of days washing off me and down the drain.

I couldn’t believe that I’d only been back in San Andreas for a couple of days. It felt like a lifetime had passed since I’d first seen Trevor at the Yellow Jack Inn. I put my hands over my face and sighed. Trevor. I don’t know what I’d thought would happen when I saw him again, but this definitely wasn’t it. The speed at which I’d already become tangled up in him again terrified me and the idea of going back to Liberty City seemed fucking impossible.

My heart started to pound in my chest, and I ran my hands through my hair and swore under my breath. Being back in San Andreas. Being with Trevor. It all felt so right, but I had no idea what his life was like now. As far as I could tell he was still off the heroin but, until it spiralled out of control towards the end of our relationship, he’d always been pretty good at hiding that shit from me, so I couldn’t even say that much for sure. I briefly thought about our last few weeks together before I left and felt that old sickly dread rising in my stomach. I didn’t think that I could live through that again.

Then, there was whatever the fuck was up with him last night. He’d brushed it off, but something had spooked him. Something was making him feel guilty. My mind brushed over the idea of another woman and I felt like the water on my back had turned to ice, a gurgling pit of fear churning in my stomach.

“Fuck.” I whispered to myself. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” I was stupid. I was being so stupid. And what’s worse is that I’d admitted to him I loved him. I'd spent the night with him. I’d opened both of us back up to all this without a fucking plan. The thought made my heart pound even harder.

There was a rustle as the shower curtain shifted and I felt the heat of a warm body press against my back. I was surprised but I shouldn’t have been, I should have known that he wouldn’t have been able to stay put. Calloused hands slipped around my waist and I leaned my head back against his chest, his heat soothing me as his thumbs rubbed small circles on my abdomen.

“And you say that I struggle with simple tasks.” I said, swallowing back my fear and my guilt, moving forward slightly so that the water was hitting him too.

“I wouldn’t call staying away from you a simple task, sugar. And besides, why would I want to be in there on my own when I could be here with you, huh? Doesn’t make any fuckin’ sense.” He said, burying his face into my neck. Trevor logic was hard to deny sometimes.

“You know you don’t have to spend every second with me, right?” I said and he growled a warning at me. I could feel him growing hard where he was pressed into my back and I swallowed. I needed to steer us towards neutral conversation if we had any chance of being ready before the hour was up.

“So, Lester.” I said quickly and he stiffened.

“You really wanna talk about that creepy fuck now?” he asked, irritation creeping into his voice.

“No.” I said, but it was a good distraction. I grabbed the shampoo bottle from the shelf in front of me and turned around.

“It’s just” I paused as I squeezed some of it into my hands and reached up to run my fingers through his thinning hair, massaging up suds. He let out a low rumble of pleasure, closing his eyes, and I smiled. “It just he said they’d be here within the hour and I figured that I should probably look semi respectable before I meet this crew.” I pulled him gently toward me, under the stream of the water, and rinsed the soap out of his hair. He grabbed my hand and placed a kiss on the inside of my wrist.

“I think you look pretty fucking respectable like this.” He said, grinning, moving his other hand to my hip and pushing me back a bit so he could look down at my naked body.

“Almost too respectable” he growled, pulling me toward him his hands coming round to cup my ass cheeks, lifting me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist automatically and he pushed me back against the bathroom tiles. I shuddered, remembering the grime of the bathroom, but he mistook it for lust and dipped his head, brushing his lips against mine. “I’m thinking you could definitely come down a peg or two in the old respectability factor,” he said with a filthy grin.

I shook my head and laughed, kissing him quickly.

“We don’t have time.” I said and he grinned at me.

“Oh yes we do.” He replied, squeezing my ass with one hand, and using the other to brace himself against the wall. He buried his face in my wet hair, pushing his erection against me. I laughed but tapped him on the side to let me down. He sighed but lowered me to the floor.

I pushed him away from me, giggling as he immediately tried to pull me back toward him, and scooted out of the shower, wrapping myself up in a towel and chucking the other one to him. He caught it against his chest and smiled at me. I picked up my clothes from the floor and gingerly stepped around the trash that littered the bathroom. His smile dropped as he watched me, and I frowned at him.

“What’s wrong?” I asked and he just shook his head, wrapping the towel around himself and stepping out and walking past me. I followed him into the bedroom, and he picked up his phone, tapping in a number and holding it to his ear. I cocked my head at him quizzically, but he ignored me.

“Wade.” He barked as soon as the other person had picked up. “Did you get the bag?” He was silent for a moment before scowling. “So, where the fuck is it?”

Trevor walked past me into the sitting room and bent over by the couch, retrieving something from the floor.

“Well, what do you want, a fuckin’ medal? Listen, I need you to come round here later and clean this shithole up.” He paused, eyes narrowing. “I don’t care if you’re fuckin’ busy you waste of space; I want this place to **fucking** _sparkle_.” he growled, and I could hear frantic platitudes pour down the line. “Good. Now fuck off.” He said, disconnecting the call and lifting his left hand and my eyes widened as I realised that he was holding my bag.

“When did you get that?” I asked.

“I sent Wade on a little recovery mission last night.” He replied, walking towards me.

“Before I agreed to come back.” I said, shaking my head. He reached me and pulled me toward him.

“I didn’t need you to agree to anythin’ sugartits. I told you – leave the motel before morning and you spend the rest of the job with me. You made the choice, not me.” He said simply.

“You’re so annoying.” I grumbled. I mean, I had technically agreed to both his conditions and coming to stay with him, but it still irked me that he’d had someone pick up my bag without asking me. He laughed, the noise vibrating through his chest.

“Now, is that any way to talk to the man that you _looooooove_?” he asked with a shit-eating grin and I scowled at him, snatching my bag from him, and slipping out of his grasp. He was starting to irritate me now.

“Shut up, Trevor.” I snapped and he chuckled, following me into the bedroom and leaning against the door, watching me.

“Mmm.” He said, as I pulled out some denim shorts, dropped my towel and wriggled into them. He pushed himself away from the door and grabbed me by the hips. “Good lord.”

I giggled as he ground his hips into mine, his arms running round and cupping my breasts.

“You are insufferable.” I said taking his hands off me and pulling on my Liberty City Wrath oversized hoodie, before turning to him and kissing him lightly on the lips. He grinned at me.

“I’ve got five long fuckin’ years of catching up to do, sugar.” He said, “Can you blame me?”

I blushed and looked down at my bag, shaking my head.

“Who’s Wade?” I asked, changing the subject as I pulled out my laptop.

“He’s uh…” Trevor looked out the window, scratching his chin. “A friend, I guess.”

I nodded, scooting past him and walked into the lounge. I placed my laptop down on the sofa and scouted around in the kitchen until I finally found what I was looking for. I ripped off a black sack and returned to the table, sweeping everything off it and into the bag. I switched on my laptop, opening the schematics of the port. I sat there for a few minutes, chewing on my thumb, and reading, before noticing that a strange silence had descended on the room. I looked up to see Trevor, leaning against the kitchen counter, just staring at me.

I frowned at him.

“You okay?” I asked, but before he could reply there was a knock at the door and I jumped. Trevor grinned and blew me a kiss, pushing away from the counter and striding to the door.

“Franklin! My man! Welcome to my humble abode.” He exclaimed, making a sweeping gesture, as a young black man stepped into the house. I stood up but stayed still as Trevor ushered him into the house. “And Lester, of course, much, **MUCH** less welcome than Franklin, but here none the less.”

Lester appeared just behind Franklin, shaking his head, and hobbled past him toward me. I moved my laptop over so that he could sit down, and he smiled.

“Thanks Ellie. Franklin, this is Ellie Sullivan, our contact for the job.”

“Hi.” I said, holding out my hand and Franklin took it. His handshake was strong and firm, and I appreciated it. I hated when men gave me a weak handshake. He nodded at me.

“Hey. Nice to meet you.” He said.

“Likewise.” I grinned. He glanced down at my sweatshirt and grinned back.

“Gotta say though, girl, poor choice of team.” I laughed and shook my head as I realised that he was wearing a LS Pounders tank top – not quite our biggest rivals, but by no means an ally.

“You know what Franklin, I know we just met and all, but that green tinge really don’t suit you. Just because your team can barely keep their place in the league, doesn’t mean you gotta bait mine out of jealousy.” I retorted, letting go of his hand and he laughed. Trevor’s gaze darted between us suspiciously and he walked so he was standing behind me, his arms circling my waist.

“Hey, hey.” He said, pulling me backward away from Franklin. “None of that touchy feely stuff, huh? We’re professionals here.” I rolled my eyes, and he patted my ass and grinned at me. “Now, where’s that fat snake? Can’t start a job without the sweet fear of imminent betrayal hanging over your head.” I frowned at him as the door opened and an older white man with slicked back hair and an impeccable suit stepped in, taking off his sunglasses.

I froze, the blood draining from my face as I watched him enter, recognising the crystal blue eyes and dark features from Trevor’s candlelit memorial in his trailer all those years ago.

“Mikey! Wasn’t sure if you were going to be able to make it. Thought that there might be some backs you had to stab on the way, I know how that can slow you down.” Exclaimed Trevor, throwing his hands in the air and walking to stand directly in front of him.

“Save it, T.” said the other man, surveying the room “Jesus Christ what the hell have you done to this place?” he asked.

“It was a bachelor pad _Michael_.” He hissed. “And not that it’s any of your business, but I’m working on getting it cleaned up.”

Michael laughed, his eyes flicking to me, giving me an appreciative once over. “So, I’m guessing you’re Ellie?” he turned back to Trevor. “Jesus, she’s a knockout. What the hell is she doing with you?”

Trevor’s eyes darkened at that, but before he could say anything I snapped. The surprise that had floored me when I’d first seen him converting into rage. This was the man that had destroyed Trevor’s life. Standing in front of me. _Judging_ me. With every thought white-hot fury surged through my veins. I moved towards him quickly, my fist bunching at my side, and his eyes widened. Before I could reach him, Trevor caught me around the waist and swung me away.

“Get off me!” I growled, struggling in his arms, but he ignored me.

“One second fellas.” Grunted Trevor as he dragged me into the bedroom. “Just gotta have a quick word with my lady.” 

He shoved me through the bedroom door and pushed me onto the bed where I landed with a thud, and the last thing I registered before the door swung shut was Michaels raised eyebrows, and a look on his face that seemed to be genuine surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Michael and Franklin!!! Feel bad for Ellie having the whole Michael thing sprung on her, but I'm sure Trevor has his reasons.
> 
> As always, thanks so much for reading. I've planned out the rest of this story into a total of 14(ish) chapters, so we're half way there! Hope you enjoy it and what's to come! <3


	8. The Old Switcheroo

I glared up at Trevor from where he’d unceremoniously dumped me on the bed, barely able to contain my anger.

“What the _fuck_ , Trevor?!” I hissed at him, venemously. He looked at me, trying to hide the excitement in his eyes, but I could see them sparkling.

“What?” he asked.

“Don’t ‘what’ me. What the hell is Michael _fucking_ Townley doing here.” I spoke softly to try and keep myself from screaming.

“He actually goes by Michael De Santa these days.” He said. I made a strangled noise and he put his hands up in defence. “Jesus, alright, he’s here because for all his many, **many** flaws, that fat turd is one of the best. You needed a fuckin’ crew, I got you one. What’s the problem?”

I sat on the bed and stared at him.

“You know what the fucking problem is. Maybe you’ve had time to kiss and make up, but I thought he was dead up until a couple of days ago. You should have told me. It isn’t fair to spring him on me like this.” I said and he narrowed his eyes.

“I don’t think you’re really in the fuckin’ position to tell me what is and isn’t fair. Do you?” he growled, and I glared at him. He took a step toward me and crouched down so that his face was level with mine. “If we have any chance of pulling this off, we need Franklin and we need Michael. I didn’t think you’d react well to his involvement, so I didn’t tell you. They’re your only fuckin’ option right now, alright?”

I stayed quiet, trying to mentally calculate if I had enough time to pull this off without them. I swore when I realised that I didn’t. Not with a good chance for success anyway. I narrowed my eyes at him, another question plaguing my brain.

“Why was he surprised.” I asked him, and he looked away. There it was again. Fucking guilt. “Why is Michael surprised that I hate him, Trevor?”

“I, uh.” He paused. “I never told him about you.” He said and I shut my eyes, that same fear that I’d felt earlier in the shower churning in the pit of my stomach.

_There’s someone else._ The thought flashed in my head again and I squeezed my eyes shut. I didn’t have time to think about this. I needed to push it all down and focus on the task at hand. Silence fell over the room.

“You gonna play nice, sugar?” he asked, and I shook my head in frustration.

“You haven’t given me a choice.” I snapped and he gave me a small smile and shrugged, his eyes warming again as he looked at me.

“What were you gonna do to him if I hadn’t stopped you?” he asked me.

“Is that why you looked so excited when we first came in here, you sick fuck?” I hissed.

“It’s not often people fly into a violent rage to defend my honour, sugar. Got to admit it made me feel things.” He grinned at me suggestively and I scowled back at him

“I was going to hurt him.” I said, and he beamed. “Don’t look so cocky, asshole, I’m feeling very strongly like I want to hurt you too.”

“Mmm, don’t tease me cupcake, we have company.” He said, sticking out his hand to help me up. I ignored it and stalked past him into the room where the other men were waiting. Michael was leaning against the kitchen counter and looked up when I walked in, eying me warily.

“Was its somethin’ I said?” he asked, and I shook my head, walking past him to where Lester sat and leaning against the glass patio door.

“Women, huh?” said Trevor, coming to a halt next to Michael, his gaze fixed on mine.

“Fuck you, Trevor.” I said, smiling sweetly at him.

“Already? Jesus, sugartits, you’re insatiable.” He growled and I took a step forward, prompting Franklin to stand up and put his hands out between us.

“Woah, woah man. Can y’all please just calm down for one single fuckin’ second. Ellie, girl, you seem nice, but I get enough of this drama shit from those two old dudes over there. I don’t need it from you too. If we’re gonna work together on this everyone needs to chill the fuck out.”

“Fuck.” I sighed, hugging my arms to my chest, and leaning back against the glass. I could bait Trevor on my own time. Right now, we had more important things to focus on. “You’re right, Franklin, sorry.” I looked at Michael, who was still studying me, perplexed. I opened my mouth to say something, but he beat me to it.

“Look. I can guess why you don’t like me kid, alright. You’re… Close with T. I get it. He’s got his reasons for not trusting me. But I’m here aright? I’m trying. I need to know if that’s gonna be enough for you to work with me on this one?” he asked and I met his gaze, his crystal blue eyes piercing into mine. I nodded. I hadn’t expected him to be so damn reasonable.

Lester stood then, walking over to where someone had scrawled a crude plan onto a wall and shook his head.

“Great. Now if everyone is through being dramatic, we can get to work.” He looked over at me. “Now, Ellie. As good as your smash and grab approach was, it would be nice to come out of this without having waged a war on both The Azteca’s and The Marabunta Grande, so I’ve come up with another option. Franklin, there’s some white contact paper in that bag. Can you cover that up?” he said, gesturing to the scribbles on the wall. Franklin did as he was asked and Lester hobbled over, a bunch of papers in hand, pinning up a couple of schematics to the makeshift whiteboard.

“The plan is to hit the port the day before The Azteca’s are expecting the crate. That way we can secure it for a day before delivering it to the Marabunta’s. That should give Ellie enough time to get the info she needs before we hand it over.” He said. I frowned at him.

“How can we hit the port the day before. The crate won’t be there.” I said, surprising myself with how calm my voice was, as he pulled out another document and stuck it up onto the wall.

“I’m going to hack into the system and get the crate delivered a day early. Once it’s there, you’ll need to sneak into the office and swap out the consignment paper so that the Port aren’t officially expecting it until the next day. While you do that, Michael and Trevor will pose as dock workers and unload it off the ship and onto the truck that will be driven to a drop point by Franklin. Once we have it, I’ll delete my redirection records and the Azteca’s will think that the crate went missing at the port of origin, taking the heat off us.” He said, looking at me. “You get your info, and we get paid.”

“Les, that’s genius.” I said, my mouth dropping open.

“Yeah, well try not to sound so surprised Ellie. Everyone else in agreement?” he asked, and the men nodded at him. “Great. Michael, I’ll need you to acquire a truck that can handle the weight of the consignment. I’ll send you the info. Franklin, you get over to the Los Santos Port and pick up some uniforms.”

“What about me?” I asked and Lester shook his head. “Your job is to lay low until we’re ready. The Azteca’s might not be on the lookout for you now, but if they pick up your scent, they might be expecting something, and we really don’t need that.”

“And me?” asked Trevor, staring at me like a snake watching its prey. I smiled and flipped him off. I couldn’t help myself.

“Your, uh, _skillset_ won’t be needed until the day.” Said Lester.

“So, what I’m hearing is that you want me to lay low too?” he asked, and I scowled.

“That’s not what I said.” Replied Lester, glancing at me, “But, sure, why not. I doubt you’ll be far from Ellie’s side while she’s here, anyway.” Trevor opened his mouth to reply but then stopped, looking at me and frowning.

“So, if we’re all agreed let’s head out. The less time we spend together the better.”

“Couldn’t agree more.” Replied Trevor, but his eyebrows were still knotted together, deep in thought.

“We’ll meet back here the morning of the job for a run-through.” He said. “Michael, Franklin, Ellie – it’s been a pleasure.” He nodded at Trevor as he left and Trevor snapped his teeth at him, causing Lester to stumble a little.

“Nice to meet you.” Franklin said, slipping past me, “Sure I’ll be seein’ you round some.”

“Right back at ya, Frank.” I said smiling, and he held out his hand to Trevor who bumped his fist against it.

“See ya, man.” Said Trevor as Franklin jogged out of the apartment. 

Michael looked between the two of us wearily.

“You gonna be okay, kid?” he asked, and I frowned at him.

“Don’t ‘kid’ me.” I said. “We can work together, but that doesn’t make you my friend.”

“Whatever you say.” he said, shrugging. “T, walk me out?”

Trevor glanced over at me before following Michael out the door, their footsteps fading down the stairs and I sighed, sinking down onto the couch.

I sat there for a few minutes, expecting Trevor to come barrelling back in through the door to pick up where we’d left off, so I was surprised when my phone buzzed with a message from him.

“Gon 2 bar with Mikey. Make urself comfortbl. Wade’ll b ther soon”

I read it again, a little stunned. It’s not that I was looking forward to continuing our argument, but it wasn’t like him to leave something unfinished. I sighed, looking around at the filthy apartment. If I was going to be trapped here for a few days I was going to have to sort this place out.

I was cleaning for about an hour before I heard a knock at the door. Unsurprisingly, while everything that could have passed for food or drink had been devoured, the cleaning products had remained untouched. I stood up and walked to the door.

“Hello?” I called.

“Uh… Hello, Trevor?” came a cautious voice from outside. I opened the door and the man on the other side flinched and jumped back.

“Oh.” He said, when he’d recovered. “You’re not Trevor.” He was taller than me with blonde dreadlocks.

“Nope, but I’m guessing you’re Wade?” I asked and he nodded. He was holding onto a large bag like he was scared I was going to steal it.

“Is Trevor here?” He asked, nervously.

“Nope. Trevor is definitely not here.” I said, stepping aside to let him in.

“What about Cousin Floyd? Or Deborah?” He asked and I shook my head. No doubt these were the people that owned the apartment before Trevor got his hands on it.

“Not them either. Just me I’m afraid.” I stuck my hand out to him “My name’s Ellie. I’m a… friend of Trevor’s.” He took my hand and gripped it tightly, like a scared kid clinging to their mother. I wasn’t sure what his deal was, but no doubt Trevor had done a number on him. I could see it in the way that he held himself. I sighed and softened my tone.

“You wanna come in, Wade?” I asked and he nodded, letting go of my hand and following me inside.

“Was you cleaning?” He asked, looking at the semi-improved state of the apartment and I nodded.

“Trying’ to anyway. I could use a hand if you don’t mind?” I asked and he smiled at me.

“Sure! Trevor said I had to anyway.” I smiled back at him.

“You don’t have to do it. But it would help me out a lot if you would.” I said and he looked at me nervously.

“Well, uh, sure thing.” He replied and I grinned.

“Great, because this place is a fuckin’ mess and it would have taken me days on my own.” I laughed and gestured to the bag he was holding. “What you got there?”

“Trevor asked me to get some food and stuff.” He replied, holding it out. I took the bag from him. It was loaded up with snacks and beer. Hardly the components of a balanced meal, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.

“Good job I already did the kitchen then, ain’t it.” I said with another smile. “I’m gonna put this stuff away. How about you make a start on the bathroom?” I asked and he nodded, turning down the corridor.

“Oh, wait, Wade?” I said, he turned back to look at me. “Could get rid of that…thing, first?” I asked, gesturing to the blow-up doll in the hall. He nodded again, smiling.

“Oh, sure thing Ellie.” He said, grabbing it and dragging it out of the apartment. I massaged my temples. This was going to be a long fucking day.

It took us most of the rest of the day to make the place look anywhere near passable. Sure, we were never going to be able to get the stains out of the carpet or the shit off the walls, but we’d cleaned it the best we could, even managing to wash the bedsheets. I grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge and collapsed on the sofa, exhausted, as Wade hovered awkwardly by the front door.

“Well, I better get goin’, Ellie.” He said, looking at me. “Trevor might not be happy if I stay now the cleanin’s done.”

“Well, I won’t be happy if you don’t.” I said, smiling at him and offering him a beer. “Come on, let’s just watch some TV and sink some beers. Who cares what Trevor thinks?”

His face dropped at that and I cursed inwardly, realising my mistake.

“Sorry, Wade, I didn’t mean that. We obviously care what Trevor thinks, it’s just that he’s not gonna mind us watching TV, okay?” I said and he shook his head.

“No, it’s not that, Ellie. It’s just that Trevor broke the TV.” He said sadly and I laughed.

“Don’t worry. We can watch something on my phone.” I said and he grinned, flopping down next to me as I passed him a beer and settled down to watch some mindless Netflix documentary.

I must have drifted off because when I opened my eyes again it was dark. I yawned and looked over at Wade who was passed out and snoring on the other side of the sofa. I reached over to get my phone, closing the app, and frowning as I realised I had several missed calls and texts from Trevor. I sighed and tapped on the screen to call him back.

His ring tone sounded from directly in front of me, and I jumped, looking up. I could just make out his silhouette leaning against the wall in the hall. 

“Trevor. What the fuck?” I said my heart pounding so loudly that I could hear it above the air-conditioned hush of the apartment. He took a few steps towards me, a beam of light from a streetlamp outside illuminating his face.

“You two have a nice date?” he slurred, and I frowned at him as he swayed in front of me.

“Are you on something?” I asked, taking in his bloodshot eyes and the way his hands were clenching into fists at his sides.

“Answer the **fucking** question, Ellie.” He shouted and I jumped again as Wade startled awake next to me. He froze as his eyes landed on Trevor, who staggered toward him pointing an angry finger in his face.

“And **you** what do you think you’re doing _fucking with my girl_.” He hissed. Wade gasped in terror and I stood, grabbing Trevor’s shoulder.

“Trevor that’s enough.” I growled, anger taking over from shock.

“Oh, you defending your _boyfriend_ now, sugar, is that it?” he snarled switching his manic stare to me. I held his gaze angrily and he stared back at me, transfixed.

“Wade, get the fuck out of here right now.” I said quietly, without breaking eye contact. I heard scuffling from beside me and then saw him scurry down the corridor. He paused for a moment at the door, and I willed him not to say anything, keeping my eyes fixed on Trevor’s.

“E-Ellie, you gonna be okay.” He whispered. Trevor roared, breaking out of his trance, and turned on him. I grabbed him by the back of his shirt, throwing him onto the sofa.

“Wade, get out of here **now**.” I said and he ran, slamming the door behind him. I pivoted to see Trevor sat below me, his eyes blazing with uncontained fury.

“What the fuck is going on El-“ he began, but I slammed my hands down on either side of his head.

“Don’t you _fucking dare,_ Trevor. You disappear all fuckin’ day to get fucked up with _him_ , and then you have the fucking audacity to come back here and yell at me? To fucking _accuse me_ of something?” I yelled. His eyes widened, anger mixing with surprise.

“What the fuck am I supposed to think, huh? I’m gone for five seconds and you’re curled up on the sofa with fucking Wade.” He growled.

“Trevor, who the fuck do you think you’re talking to? I have never, _never_ , been unfaithful to you. Never. **You,** of all people, do not get to accuse me of that.” I hissed and then threw up my hands in frustration. “For fucks sake we’re not even fucking together.” I walked away from him and leant against the kitchen counter trying to cool down. I heard him get up and, suddenly remembering that turning your back on Trevor when he was like this was never a wise idea, scooted around to the other side so that I was facing him.

“I forgot how scary you are when you’re angry. It’s fucking hot.” He was grinning but his eyes were filled with crazed fury.

“Don’t even fucking start.” I growled. He looked away for a moment and when he looked back my heart skipped a beat. His whole expression had changed. That manic rage was completely gone, replaced by a dark, haunted sadness.

“Are you gonna leave?” He asked, and I froze, completely caught off guard by his change of tone.

“What?” I asked.

“When the job’s over. Are you gonna fucking leave?” His head sank down onto his chest, his weight resting on arms that were shaking so badly he could barely hold himself up.

“Is that what this is about?” I asked, he didn’t reply, wouldn’t even look up at me.

“Fuck. Trevor, where is this coming from?” I said, but my heart was pounding in my chest.

“Lester said it. That I was gonna stick to you like a fly on shit while you’re in here. _While_ you’re here. Are you leaving after the job?” he whispered. I bit my lip. I wanted to say no, but I couldn’t.

“I don’t know.” I said and he looked up at me, his expression blank.

“You don’t know.” he repeated.

I sighed and walked around him, dropping back down onto the sofa. He followed, collapsing next to me, his thigh brushing against my knees.

“I never thought in a million years that this would happen. I thought I would come here, do this job and then go back to my life in Liberty City.” I said, looking at him. His jaw clenched, but he remained quiet. “But seeing you. I don’t know. I tried to convince myself that I couldn’t possibly love you as much as I do. But...” I trailed off, looking down at my lap. “I was an idiot for thinking that I could see you again and not have all these feelings come crashing back.”

“Then don’t go. Stay with me.” He said, his hand catching my chin and drawing it up, so I was looking at him. His expression was earnest, fiery and desperate. “Stay with me, please.”

“It’s not that simple, Trev.” I whispered, biting the insides of my cheeks to stop myself from crying as I cupped his face in my hands. “We don’t even know each other anymore. We’re in this bubble right now, but our real lives are going on outside of it. Mine in Liberty City and yours here. I don’t want to screw anything up for you.” I said and he pushed my hands away, gritting his teeth.

“I’m not saying no, Trevor. I promise I’m not. I just feel like…” I stopped, feeling the tears that I’d been fighting rolling down my cheeks. “I feel like you have more that you need to think about than me.”

He didn’t respond to that and that stabbed me through the heart. He was seeing someone else. He had to be. That guilt I’d seen in him wasn’t for me, it was about me. I’d come back and I’d messed with his head and I was fucking up his chances of being happy with someone else. I stood up and wiped my hands over my face. He didn’t move, just looked out the window toward the sea.

“I’m gonna give you some space okay? I think we both need a bit of time to cool off.” I said. He didn’t reply, so I stood up and made my way to the smaller bedroom. I looked back and he still hadn’t moved, so I quietly slipped into the room, climbed into the freshly washed sheets, and started to cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, let me kick this off by apologising for all the ANGST. I promise there's more sappy/happy Trellie later!
> 
> Hope you like it & thanks again for reading - it makes me HAPPY. x


	9. The Hardest Word

I woke up hunched over in a tangle of blankets, facing the wall. My eyes were stinging, and my stomach hurt from crying. I put my hands to my eyes, pushing down and exhaling. I was exhausted again from lack of sleep. A common theme so far on my trip to San Andreas. I covered my face and rolled over.

“Jesus!” I exclaimed, gripping my hand to heart, as I saw Trevor sat on the edge of the bed, watching me. “You scared the shit out of me.”

“No change there, huh?” he said, his voice was unfocussed, but he smiled weakly at me.

“Are you okay?” I asked, and he nodded. “How long have you been sitting there?”

He edged closer and traced the line of my face, gently brushing a thumb below my puffy eyes. He bent down and kissed me softly and I closed my eyes, inhaling his scent.

“A while.” He answered, his amber eyes skipping over my features as he spoke.

“Is something wrong?” I asked, my stomach churning. He moved his hand from my cheek to the side of my face and twirled an auburn lock through his fingers.

“You changed your hair.” He said quietly, and I licked my lips.

“Not since yesterday.” I said with a smile, trying to break the tension.

“Since the last time you told me that you loved me.” He replied and I swallowed. He was right. When I was living in San Andreas my hair had been long, peach-coloured waves that fell just above my shoulder blades; it was shorter now, a dark auburn.

“It’s not so different.” I said softly, suddenly feeling like we were having a very different conversation and I wracked my brain trying to figure out what it was. I stared back at him for a second then reached out and ran my fingers over the faded dashes that circled his throat. He closed his eyes and shuddered.

“You got a new tattoo.” I whispered, sitting up and leaning into him to trace the salty line with my tongue. He exhaled and grabbed my hand, moving it down over his heart and holding it there. It beat against his chest like a trapped bird and I stared at him.

“I fucking love you so much.” He said, his voice hoarse, and he looked like he might cry. “I never stopped loving you. Not for a single fuckin’ second.”

I didn’t know what to say as his eyes latched onto mine, twin flames of despair, shining with unshed tears. I took his hands and gently pulled him onto the bed, gathering him into my arms. I kissed him softly, my hands running through his thinning hair, my body pushed tight to his. His tears dripped onto my skin, running down my cheek until they mingled with our kiss. I broke away and he watched me, that bleak pain making my heart ache.

I climbed on top of him, tugging at the bottom of his t-shirt. He helped me to pull it over his head and I ran my pale fingers down his scarred chest, resting them against his hips. I lowered my head and pressed my lips against his toned stomach. His was almost feverishly hot and I gripped my fingers into his skin as I trailed a line of butterfly kisses along his “Fuck Cops” tattoo and down to where that line of dark hair dipped below the hem of his sweatpants. He’d stopped crying and when I looked up at him his eyes focussed on me hazily, that dark sadness mixed with lust.

I stopped and crawled back up him until my face was just above his.

“I love you.” I whispered. “Let me show you?”

He nodded and I kissed him once before slipping back down his body to his waist, pulling down his sweats. His cock sprang out, hard and throbbing and I gently wrapped my hand around it, giving it an experimental squeeze. He hissed in a breath and I started to slowly massage my hand up and down his length. He watched me intently, his breathing irregular as I started to move my hand quicker, before quickly dipping down and swirling my tongue around his head. He sighed, closing his eyes, and I continued my pace using my other hand to pull off my sweatshirt. He opened his eyes and moaned, little drops of precum seeping from his tip as he realised that I was topless.

“You want more?” I asked dropping my head down so that my mouth was just next to his cock, the heat of my breath brushing over him as I jerked him off. He moaned again, louder this time, and the sound of it sent a shock of pleasure tingling through me. “Use your words.” I whispered and he glared at me, biting his lip, and closing his eyes as I swirled my tongue around his head again, licking the precum off his tip. He bucked into me, his tattooed hands tangling in my hair, his eyes slits as he watched me.

“Please.” He growled and my breath hitched in my throat.

“Well, since you asked so nicely...” I said, and smiled at him, keeping eye contact as I fastened my lips around him, sinking my head down onto his cock.

“Jesus.” He groaned and bucked into me as I laid my tongue against his length and began to slowly move my head up and down. I gripped my hand around his shaft, pumping it up and down in time with my mouth and he shuddered thrusting into me, his eyes getting wilder as I took him further into me until he was hitting the back of my throat with every pump of his hips. His breathing got heavier and his thrusts more irregular as he continued to fuck my mouth, his hands tightening into fists in my hair.

“Fuck, Ellie. _Fuck_.” He gasped, his head rolling back onto the pillow as his cock twitched between my lips, sending hot, salty bursts of liquid into my throat. I held onto his hips, continuing to suck him off as he came, his frantic thrusting slowing down until he was finally still beneath me.

I let go of his hips and swallowed, sitting back on my heels to look at him. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was laboured, a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead. I shuffled up, placing my thumb flat against his cheek, my fingers stroking his neck. He opened his eyes and locked them onto mine, gazing at me. He grabbed my face and pulled me in to kiss him, groaning as he tasted himself on my tongue. He kissed me hard and deep and when he finally let me go my lips felt swollen.

I stared at him. He definitely looked better. His hair was tousled, and he still looked tired, but he looked less raw than he had when I’d woken up. I tugged at his arms and he sat up, smiling, his hands curling around me as I straddled him. I kissed him chastely on the lips and trailed little kisses from his mouth to his ear, nibbling on his earlobe.

“I love you.” I whispered, and he shivered. “If you only remember one thing, please remember that.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him into me for a gentle hug. When I let him go, he was smiling at me and I laughed.

“Boys are so easy to please.” I teased and he growled at me, but his eyes were sparkling. I stroked a hand through his thinning hair.

“I really do love you, T. Don’t forget it, okay?” I asked. He nodded and nudged me gently. I shuffled off him and sat with my back was pressed against the cool apartment wall. He pulled up his sweatpants and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He sat like that for a moment, and I watched his back rise and fall with his breath.

“I have to take care of something today.” He said, quietly, “Up in Blaine County.”

I looked at him, drawing my knees to my chest, the blanket bunching up under my chin.

“Business stuff?” I asked. He rubbed a hand over his face and stood up.

“No. Other stuff.” he said. “I asked Michael to stay here while I’m gone.”

I frowned. Neither of these two pieces of information made me happy but I didn’t really have the energy to argue.

“Okay.” I said and his lips twitched in a half smile as he pulled on his t-shirt and walked toward the door.

“Really? No little fuckin’ sigh or anything?” He asked and I stuck my tongue out at him.

“Don’t push me.” I laughed and he grinned, opening the door.

“Hey, Trevor?” I said and he turned back to me.

“Ellie.” he replied his eyes burning into mine.

“I love you.” I said and he grinned wider, eyes sparkling.

“Jesus Christ, if I’d known you were this fuckin’ soppy I would have left you in the fuckin’ desert.” My mouth dropped open in outrage and he let out a cackle, swooping back and dropping a kiss on my open mouth before bounding through the door and out of the house.

I stared after him for a second and broke into a grin. What an ass. I got up and grabbed a black t-shirt dress and grey tights from Trevor’s room, pulling them on and scraping my hair up into a bun. I heard the door open and the sound of shoes on the linoleum. I didn’t bother checking my reflection. I knew I looked shit and I didn’t care. I wasn’t looking to impress Michael Townley.

I walked down to the lounge to find him leaning against the kitchen sink sipping a glass of brown liquid. His dark hair was slicked back, but he’d swapped out the suit in favour of a pair of dress slacks and a polo shirt and was looking a little worse for wear.

“Interesting choice of breakfast.” I said, gesturing to the glass. He looked down at it and shrugged.

“Hair of the dog, kid.” He said, knocking back the dregs, picking up the bottle and another glass, nodding toward the sofa. I took a breath to calm myself and sat down opposite him.

“Trevor tell you I was coming?” he asked, pouring two glasses of whiskey, and pushing one over to me. I picked it up and nodded, holding it in my hand as I watched him take a sip.

“Look. I wanted to start by clearing the air. Trevor told me at the bar last night that you guys used to be pretty serious. I didn’t know that. If he’d told me, I probably would have handled the situation yesterday a little better.” He said.

“Only probably?” I asked.

“What can I say? I tend to piss people off, particularly my wife and kids, when I open my mouth so don’t see why you’d be any different.”

“Wife and kids, huh?” I asked, “Is that why you did it?” I asked, the anger that I’d been trying to hold back spilling over into my voice.

“Jeeze, not one for the small talk, huh?” He asked, eyes widening.

“Not with you.” I replied.

“Think you could maybe give it a rest there, Ellie? I get that you don’t like me, but I could without the open fuckin’ hostility.” He said. I took a sip of my drink and looked away from him, Franklins voice popping into my head, reminding me that we needed to be civil to work together.

“Tell me why you did it and I’ll tell you if I can give it a rest.” I said, and he blinked at me. “That’s the best I can offer.”

He leaned over, both elbows on his knees and tapped a finger against his glass, considering me.

“That seems fair. I can tell you why, but you ain’t gonna like it.” He said.

“Let me be the judge of that.” I replied, taking a sip of my drink.

“You wanna know why? I did it because he didn’t give me a goddamn choice.” He said.

“Bullshit. Everything about this life is a fucking choice Michael. You don’t get to blame someone else for your shitty decision-making.” I growled.

“Oh really. You’ve been with the guy. You know how fucking crazy he can get. He was getting worse every fuckin’ day. Every job we went on I thought would be my last. I had a family. Two young kids. I loved him, but he was going to get us both killed.” He snapped back.

“So, what, you set him up?” I growled. “Betrayed him? Left him to fucking die?”

“It wasn’t like that.” He said, quietly.

“Yeah, it never fucking is.” I sighed.

“Look, me and Brad got shot. I survived, he didn’t.” He said angrily. “Trevor escaped, and I’m fucking glad he did. But I was put into witness protection. I couldn’t talk to him even if I wanted to. I didn’t plan it, but it happened. And you know what, I’m glad it did. It gave me a way out.”

“You selfish prick.” I sighed and he frowned at me. “He loved you so much. He mourned you. For years. It almost destroyed him, and I had to fuckin’ watch. If you loved him, you would have known your death would have torn him to pieces. He felt so damn _responsible_. You were his best fucking friend and he thought he killed you.”

His jaw clenched at that, but he shook his head.

“I had a family. I did what I had to, to protect them. Trevor told me about your sister last night. You tellin’ me that you wouldn’t get the fuck away from that psychopath to protect someone you loved?” he asked, holding my eyes, piercing me with that crystal gaze. I looked away.

“Exactly. Look, kid. Lester told us not to take that job, but he insisted, and it all went to hell. I couldn’t just wait around for his next bad decision. My responsibility was to my family.” He finished, leaning back on the battered sofa.

I hated him. I really hated him. But what I hated more was that I understood him. I didn’t agree with what he’d done but hadn’t I made the same choice? I’d left Trevor to protect the people that I loved, it’s just that the people I loved happened to be him.

“Having a reason doesn’t absolve you of guilt.” I said quietly and he stared at me, his blue eyes not breaking contact with mine.

“I’m not looking for absolution, kid, and from the sounds of it you shouldn’t be either.” He picked up the glass and held it to his lips, watching me as he drank it. I clenched my jaw, trying not to say something I’d regret. I was only pissed off because he was right. It didn’t matter how many times I apologised for leaving I couldn’t regret it because I would do it again. It had saved Trevor’s life.

“Okay.” I said quietly, and finished off my drink, the liquid heat burning in the back of my throat and making the situation more bearable. I’d thought that Michael would be the last person in the world that I’d ever feel any kind of connection to, but the more he spoke, the more I was realising that he was possibly the only other person in the world that was like me. Someone that loved Trevor but knew that part of loving him was also having to deal with him. It was a disquieting realisation.

“Okay, what?” he asked.

“I’ll give it a rest. I don’t agree with what you did. I think it was fucking monstrous. But I can see why you made the call. So, I’ll let up.” I pushed my empty glass back over to him.

Michael nodded and filled up my glass without saying anything. I downed it and slammed it back down on the table. He raised an eyebrow but filled it up again.

“For what it’s worth I really am sorry for any shit that you had to deal with because of me.” He said and I shrugged.

“It’s Trevor. I would have had to deal with shit either way.” I said, surprising myself, and he stared at me for a second.

“Look, don’t bite my head off over this, I know it’s none of my business, but why were you ever with him?” He asked and I narrowed my eyes.

“You’re right, that really is none of your business.” I replied, my lips tingling as the alcohol buzzed through my veins.

“Right, yeah. It’s just, you’re gorgeous. Scary as shit, but gorgeous, and you seem to have your head screwed on. I just don’t get how you ended up living in a trailer in the desert with that fuckin’ nutjob.” He said. I looked at him but there was no malice in his eyes just curiosity. I shrugged, the alcohol loosening my tongue.

“He saved my life. He was fun, daring, genuine. Fucking crazy for sure but… I don’t know. I just loved him I guess.” I said, frowning, realising I wasn’t really making sense.

“So then why’d you leave?” he asked, and I faltered a little.

“He organised a job. I was the gunman on it, but it went wrong. I got shot and nearly died. He couldn’t forgive himself for it and he started to spiral. Got strung out on heroin. OD’d. I finally realised that if I stayed, he was never going to get better, so I left. But you know, I didn’t really. Not inside. Never really managed to find anyone that could measure up to him, you know?” I said, looking out toward the sea.

“Jesus Christ, kid, that’s dark. How old were you?” he asked, and I shrugged tipsily.

“Twenty-four.” I replied and he looked away.

“Same age as my kid.” He paused. “I’m sorry you had to go through all that.”

“Yeah.” I said, trailing off, suddenly remembering who I was talking to. He looked at me, rubbing a hand over his mouth as if weighing up what he was going to say next.

“Look, kid, it probably ain’t my place but,” he swirled his drink in his glass and looked down. “I can read well enough between the lines when it comes to Trevor to know there’s a whole bunch more shit you ain’t telling me. You are too fucking young and too fucking pretty to be living a lonely life in Liberty City because you’re hung up on Trevor fucking Philips.” He said. I opened my mouth to protest and he waved me away. “I’m not trying to be a prick here, kid. I’m just saying that it seems like you’ve held back a lot for him. And I don’t want you to waste your life on someone that is physically incapable of doing the same.”

I closed my eyes, my head spinning from the alcohol. I knew what he was going to say before he said it and I felt sick.

“Look, I’m not saying that the guy doesn’t feel something for you, but I’ve been working with him for over a year now and he hasn’t mentioned you once. Not once. But do you know what he has done? He’s fucked a lot of fucking women. He was even serious with this one lady, Patricia. They lived together in his trailer for a while.” He said. I bit my lip trying to keep it from wobbling and he winced. “I’m not sayin’ this to try and hurt you, kid, I’m just saying that maybe the way Trevor thinks he feels and the way he actually feels aren’t the same thing. Maybe he wasn’t as cut up about you, about either of us, as he thinks he is.”

I looked down, the weight of that statement settling on my shoulders like a dark cloud.

“Is he still living with her?” I asked. He shifted in his seat, looking uncomfortable.

“No. But last time I saw him he was still talking about her. So maybe that’s your answer.”

“Does he love her?” I asked again, not able to look at him, the words slipping out before I could stop them. He sighed, and filled up my glass, pushing it into my hand.

“I always assumed that he wasn’t capable of love. Not in the way that normal people are. But shit, yeah, he said he did.” He said.

I sat there for a few moments staring at the floor before crumpling my face into my hands. Hot tears flowed down my cheeks and I barely registered him moving to sit next to me as the combination of alcohol and sadness spilled out of me and soaked through the front of my dress. He was in love with someone else. He had moved on. And I’d come back here and just fucked with his head like a fucking asshole.

And I didn’t buy what Michael was saying about Trevor not knowing how to love. I knew that Trevor was capable of love. He felt love more fucking deeply than anyone I’d ever met. And when he loved someone, he fucking loved them. Michael and I were both testament to that. I remembered his broken expression from this morning. Imagined how he must be feeling. I looked over at Michael and he stared back at me sadly. What was it that Lester had said? Two ghosts in one year. That’s exactly what we were. Two fragments of his past back from the grave to haunt him. Two spirts that wouldn’t let him fucking rest.

“God.” I said, when I’d finally stopped crying. “I’m such an idiot.”

“Hey, kid, look I’m sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything…” I put up a hand to interrupt him.

“No. I needed to hear it. Thanks Michael.” I said, standing up and taking my glass to the kitchen. “I’m gonna go to my room. Got some stuff I need to work on for the job.”

He didn’t say anything, just nodded and I gave him a weak smile. He stood then and pulled me into a hug. I froze for a second, struck once more by that strange bond that connected us. That terrible decision that we’d both made. The thin thread that anchored us to Trevor and each other.

I pushed him away but gave him a small smile before retreating to the bedroom and collapsing into a fitful sleep.

I woke up to the sound of water running in the bathroom. It was dark and quiet as I crept out into the hall. There was no sign of Michael, so I made my way into the lounge and sat on the sofa to wait. I wasn’t waiting long before the water shut off and Trevor padded out of the bathroom wearing just a pair of grey sweatpants, but my insides were writhing in apprehension. His smiled as he saw me, but his expression dropped as he got close enough to see my face. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, and I shook my head. His eyes narrowed.

“It’s Michael isn’t it. He’s fuckin’ done something.” He growled, starting to pace in front of me. “That fat fuckin’ snake, you spend one day with him and I come home and you’re looking at me like I’m a fucking asshole. What did he do, huh? I’m gonna fucking kill him.” He made a move for the door and I grabbed his arm.

“Hey. Stop. Calm down.” I said. He shook me off, but stopped pacing, standing tensely in front of me. “It’s not about Michael, but I need to talk to you.”

I stopped then, my nerve suddenly deserting me. He looked down at me quizzically and I took a breath.

“I need to ask you about Patricia.” I said, quietly. A wave of emotions steamrolled over his face and he collapsed onto the sofa looking miserable. “Is that what you’re so fucked up about? About her?”

He nodded and dropped his head into his hands. I swallowed painfully.

“And why you were crying this morning? Because you feel guilty.” I said it as a statement. He didn’t reply just nodded again.

“Is it love?” I asked, forcing the words out even though they made me feel sick. His head shot up at that, and he looked at me.

“You know it is, baby.” He said, his tone was so genuine, so heartfelt that I couldn’t help it. I started crying. I’d promised myself I wouldn’t. That I’d be able to do this one thing for him without letting my emotions get in the way, but it was too much. I felt sad and tired and wasted.

“I’m so fuckin’ sorry.” He said, his voice desolate.

“No, I’m sorry.” I said, wiping my hand across my face and shuffling away, trying to get some distance between us. “I’m sorry for crying. I know that –“ I hiccupped, interrupting myself. “I know that this must be so hard for you Trevor, and I promise that we can still be friends. This doesn’t have to be it for us.” He opened his mouth to say something, panic spreading over his face.

“I’m so sorry for everything. I never should have gone back to Sandy Shores.” I said, tears streaming down my cheeks again. “When this is over, I’ll go back to Liberty City and it will be like I was never here, okay? Except maybe this time we can stay in touch?” His eyes were growing wide with horror and he closed the distance between us, putting his arms around my waist.

“Please. Please don’t fucking leave me.” He whispered, his arms tightening. “I didn’t mean to. I didn’t know.”

“I can’t Trevor. I’m so sorry, but I can’t.” I tried to take his arms from my waist, but he wouldn’t let go. “I’m so happy for you. Really I am.” I laughed, but it was hysterical, “I know I’m crying like a fucking idiot, but I promise I’m happy for you. But I can’t stay here and not have you, my heart couldn’t take it. It would kill me. You’ve found someone that you really love, and I don’t want to get in the way of that. I’m so sorry.” My words were running into each other, and I was proper ugly crying now.

Trevor stopped squeezing me and when I looked down, he was staring up at me, his eyebrows drawn together in anguished confusion.

“But you’re the person I really fuckin’ love.” He groaned.

“No, I mean Patricia.” I choked and he shook his head violently.

“No, Ellie that ended fuckin’ months ago, I promise.” His eyes were still panicked, but hope was edging into his features.

“But…” I tried, still hiccupping, “Michael said you told him that you loved her.”

“I didn’t love her.” He said quickly, his fingers digging into my skin so hard I knew it would bruise. “Not like I love you. Never like I love you.”

“But you just said you felt guilty about her.” I whispered and he shook his head again, his amber eyes not leaving mine.

“Because you said you hadn’t been with anyone else. I feel so fuckin’ guilty that I have.” He said, grabbing my hand and squeezing it so tight I thought my fingers would break. “So fucking scared that you would leave me if you found out. That you’d think it was because I was over you. Or that I didn’t love you enough, but I swear to God I do. I never stopped loving you.”

“Trevor, that’s crazy.” I whispered. “Just because I haven’t been able to move on doesn’t mean that I would judge you for it.” He tried to look away from me, but I grabbed his face in my hands. “I’m happy that you had someone to love and care about. That’s all I wanted for you.”

“I never loved her. I’ve never loved anyone but you. Not like this.” He said, his hands coming up to cup my face.

“You promise?” I asked my heart racing.

He nodded frantically; his eyes boring into mine.

“Well, fuck.” I breathed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goddamn it Michael! Hopefully Trellie can put all this behind them now and be happpppy! Next chapter more of past Trevor and Ellie!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading/kudos-ing/commenting! Hope that you're still enjoying it! Only a handful of chapters left until the end!


	10. The First Time

We sat like that for a moment, just staring at each other. The room was so quiet that each shaky inhale and exhale of our breath sounded deafening.

“Fucking Michael.” I said finally, when I had calmed down enough to speak without my voice trembling. Trevor’s lips curved upward slightly, and he pushed himself back, so he was sitting upright on the couch.

“Fucking Michael.” He agreed. He stood up covering his face, his fingers pressing into his eyes.

“Fuccck.” He exhaled, letting his hands drop from his face, holding one out to me. “Can we just be fucking done with this shit now cupcake, huh? You fucking love me, and Lord knows I love you so let’s just fucking stop with all this “ _will they won’t they”_ bullshit and just tell me you’ll fucking come home.”

I looked up at him from the sofa, the light from the streetlamp outside illuminating half of his face leaving the rest in shadow. I touched his hand and his fingers closed around mine, pulling me up so quickly that I bumped into his chest.

“Tell me you’ll stay.” He said, his hands dropping down to my lower back, kneading through the fabric of my dress. I bit my lip enjoying the feel of his firm fingers massaging the tense muscles as I rested my head against his chest. Fuck. As much as I hated to admit it to myself the chances of me actually being able to leave him again were very slim. It had taken everything I had to do it the first time, and back then I’d had a reason. I opened my mouth to tell him, but as I looked up, I realised that he was grinning down at me. I narrowed my eyes. He already knew what my answer was going to be.

“Fuck you.” I said and he laughed.

“What? I’m trying to have a genuine fucking moment here.” He said holding out his arms, palms facing up. I pushed him away from me, laughing.

“No, you’re not. You’re being an ass.” He grabbed me again and pulled me back to him.

“Oh yeah? I’m being a fuckin’ ass, huh? I’ll show you a fuckin ass.” He wrapped his arms around me, and the world flipped upside down as he hoisted me over his shoulder.

“Trevor!” I yelped, the lounge bobbing away from me as he staggered toward the bedroom. “Put me the fuck down.”

“Whatever my girl fucking wants.” He said and I gasped as he dropped me onto the bed, landing on top of me, winding me.

“Jesus.” I wheezed. “What the hell is-“ he cut me off, his lips pushing against mine.

“Tell me. Tell me you’ll stay.” He breathed into my mouth as he kissed me. “Tell me you’ll stay.”

I sucked his bottom lip into my mouth and bit down sharply.

“Fuck!” he exclaimed, withdrawing, his hand going to his mouth in surprise.

“I’ll stay.” I said and he stared at me before letting out a laugh and rolling off me, collapsing next to me on the bed, his hands on his chest.

“Well, shit.” He exhaled. He lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling a dopy grin of his face. I shook my head and rolled onto my side propping my head up in my hand, elbow resting on the blanket.

“Where did you go today?” I asked, slipping my arm over his stomach. He stretched out and pulled me closer so that my body was flush against his side. He ran his hand absentmindedly through my hair.

“To get our house back.” He said, still gazing up at the ceiling. My mouth dropped open; I don’t know what I’d been expecting but it certainly wasn’t that.

“What the fuck?” I said more out of surprise than anything else.

“What?” he asked. “You told me I had more to think about, so I drove out to Paleto Point and thought about it. It was some real Eat Pray Love shit, sugar.”

I closed my eyes, saying a silent prayer for whatever poor soul had taken up residence in our old home.

“What did you do?” I asked, my voice resigned. He barked laughing.

“Jesus, what kind of fucking animal do you take me for?” he said, his eyes glittering. “I bought it off the fucker.”

“You bought it off him.” I echoed, doubtfully.

“Jesus Christ.” He said but I just stared at him. “Okay, fucking fine, I might, _might_ , have insisted. But I still gave the guy a fair fucking price. He can move wherever his fuckin’ heart desires now, okay cupcake?”

I giggled, running my hand over the warm skin of his stomach and he sighed, contentedly.

“I fucking missed you.” I whispered. And it was true. I always knew that I missed him, but it was only being with him again that I realised just how much. He turned his head, brushing his lips against my forehead.

“Mmm. I missed you too, sugar.” He sighed, his hot breath rustling against my hair. I cuddled into him and gradually his breathing got deeper and more even, and I realised he’d fallen asleep. I turned to my face up to watch him. He lips were parted slightly and his face was relaxed. I’d forgotten how fucking cute he looked when he was sleeping. I gripped him tighter and he sighed, rolling onto his side, and curling into me, one hand flinging over my hips and I remembered the night that his trailer had gotten shot up and the first night that we'd ever spent together in that house in Paleto Bay.

\---------------------------------------

We kissed on the beach for ages, the quad bike providing the backdrop of a low hum until I broke away from him, laughing and gasping for air. He stared at me; arms wrapped around my waist. His expression was one that I’d never seen before, on him or anyone else. It was a deep, lusty hunger. Like he couldn’t decide whether he wanted to eat me or fuck me. It was completely unsettling and totally hot. His fingers dug into my waist almost painfully as a wave broke on the shore behind him and I grinned. He dipped his head to kiss me again and I shoved him backward as hard as I could.

“Fuck!” He exclaimed. He let go of me, arms shooting out to try and to balance himself, but he was too unsteady, too close to the water to be able to stop what was happening. He let out a strangled cry and toppled backwards into the surf, ducking beneath the water.

He emerged, spluttering and furious, the lust in his eyes replaced by a boiling anger. Before he had a chance to react, I threw myself onto him, flinging my arms round his neck and sending both of us falling back into the surf. I gasped in shock as the icy cold engulfed me and tried to stand, but he grabbed onto me, pulling me back down into the water.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re goin’, huh?” he growled, running his hands down my back, and squeezing my ass. I shivered against him and he laughed, dropping down suddenly so we both dipped below the water line.

“Fuck.” I gasped, coughing seawater out of my lungs. “Shit, it’s freezing.” He laughed and ran his hands under my thighs, hiking my legs up. I wrapped them around him, and he shuddered as he pulled me closer, kissing me. His hard on pressed against me in the water, and I drove my hips into his, causing us both to groan at the sensation. His hands pulled at my hem of my top, trying to get it over my head and I dropped my hands to stop him.

“Uh-uh, Trevor.” I whispered. “Not here.”

“You’re fuckin’ kidding.” He groaned into my mouth.

“Nope.” I smiled, grinding my hips into his, he made a small noise.

“But –“ I cut him off, with a kiss.

“Nope. Not until we’re back at the house” I said again, and he growled in frustration. He slipped his hands under my ass and picked me up, huffing with exertion as he stood up, hauling us out of the water. I kissed him as he carried me toward the bike and dropped me on it.

He looked at me for a long moment, my long peach hair hanging in wet strands, my lips pink and swollen from the combination of kissing and the cold. I smiled up at him and he stared back at me looking momentarily dazed.

“Trevor?” I asked and he shook his head.

“You’re fucking beautiful.” He said and my stomach flipped. He climbed onto the quadbike and I wrapped my arms around him, shivering as I pressed up against the wet fabric of his t-shirt. There was no splashing in the surf, no winding route, just a beeline straight for the house. When we got there he jumped off, not bothering to put the bike away, just grabbing my hand and dragging me up the stairs and into the house.

He kicked open the door and pushed me inside, and as soon as the door closed behind us, his hands were fumbling to get under my clothes.

“Trevor.” I laughed. He ignored me, his hands roughly grabbing into me. ““Trevor.” I tried again but he just crushed his lips into mine, swallowing my words as he tried to pull my shirt off. I dropped my hand to his crotch, grabbed him by the balls and squeezed hard. He gasped and stopped; his lust filled eyes meeting mine.

“You’re not paying me by the fucking minute, okay? Relax.” I snapped and let go, pushing him backwards so that he stumbled back against the stairs. He stared at me his eyes wide and full of awe.

“Marry me.” He said and I laughed, grabbing his hand. I pulled him up the stairs behind me, pushing open doors until I found the master bedroom, as Trevor mumbled declarations of love.

I pushed him down onto the big four poster bed and stared at him. His hair was messed up and damp and his wet t-shirt clung to his toned chest. I could vaguely make out the outline of his tattoos where the t-shirt had gone almost transparent against his skin. I bit my lip trying to calm myself down. If I was being totally honest with myself, I’d wanted to do this since the first day I met him, and my heart was thudding almost painfully in my chest. He stared back and me and grinned wolfishly.

“You know darlin’, you should really get out of those wet clothes.” He purred and I swallowed, quickly pulling off my shirt and leggings so I was standing in front of him in just my underwear. His breathed in, his eyes running over my nearly bare body.

“Fuck me. You’re incredible.” He whispered reaching for me, and I darted backwards just out of his reach. He groaned and I smiled at him.

“Rip your shirt.” I said and he frowned at me.

“What?” he asked, and I walked forward, climbing onto him, and straddling his waist.

“Tear up your shirt,” I whispered into his ear. “and give it to me. If you’re gonna be a bad boy that can’t keep his hands to himself, I’m just going to have to find a way to make you.”

He made a strange noise and moved his hands to his chest grabbing handfuls of fabric and ripping it off easily, tearing it into strips and handing them to me. I pushed him back and tied one of the scraps tightly around his wrist, securing him to the bed post.

“I’m a very bad boy.” He growled, his amber eyes darting over me, watching me like a lovesick puppy. “Punish me.” I grinned at him and tied his other arm up, kissing him hard and rough and he bucked his hips into me.

I dug my nails into his sides, applying pressure as I dragged them down, breaking the kiss. He groaned and I laughed, pushing myself up so I was sitting on his chest. I slowly reached around and unclasped my bra, holding it to me. His eyes were fixed on me, his lips slightly parted as he watched and he groaned as I peeled away the fabric, revealing my breasts. He shuddered under me and pulled at where he was tied to the bed.

“Jesus Christ.” He rumbled trying to rock his hips against mine, but I scooted further up his chest and he groaned. I stuck a finger into my mouth trailing it down my chest, leaving a line of wetness in its wake, and pinching a tight nipple between my finger and thumb.

“You know I’ve thought about this a lot.” I whispered and he growled at me, his eyes wild. “Thought about what it would be like to kiss you. What it would be like to feel you inside me.”

“Fuck.” He hissed, and I smiled at him, closing my eyes as I rolled a nipple between my fingers. I gasped as I tweaked it and he shuddered beneath me. When I opened my eyes, he was staring at me, lust burning in his eyes like fire and I grinned, leaning down so my chest was pressed to his, my hard nipples pressing into his skin and kissing him hungrily.

“I’ve thought about this, what you would look like beneath me. What you would taste like.” I whispered into his mouth. I climbed off him, turning around so that my back was to him rubbing him through his sweatpants. He groaned and rocked his hips into my hand. I grinned to myself and pushed down his sweats. His cock sprung free, throbbing, and angry and I bit my lip. He was bigger than I would have thought. I reached for him, running my hand gently along his length. His skin was hot, and the flesh beneath it was rock hard.

I was just tightening my grip when calloused hands wrapped around my waist and pulled me back. I yelped as he flipped me over, so I was lying beneath him, and his eyes were sparkling.

“You need to learn how to tie people up properly, sugar.” He growled into my ear. “If I wasn’t such a fucking stand-up guy this could have gone very badly for you.” He pulled me underneath him and I gasped, my heart pounding. His breath was warm as he moved his head down to the sensitive skin just above my panties and I gasped as he ran finger along where they pressed against my skin.

“You know, I’ve been wondering something since I first met you, too.” He said, the vibration from his throat rumbling against me and I shivered, “Wondered if the curtains matched the drapes.” He hooked a finger through the fabric and dragged them off me slowly, letting out a throaty moan.

“I fucking knew it.” He said, his breath rustling against the light auburn hair that ran in a thin strip towards my mound. I gasped at the feeling and he laughed, his hands pushing my thighs apart and opening me to him. He swore and I bit my lip.

“You are fucking delicious, you know that?” he growled, and I shivered again. He licked once along my slit and I bucked into him, my heart flipping in my chest as the movement sent a thrill of electricity through me. His mouth was warm and wet, and he licked again, dragging his tongue over the sensitive pink nub at the top my vagina. His hands clamped down on my thighs and I gasped as he started to circle my clit, each sweep of his tongue building up the pressure in my core until I was gasping with every movement, squirming underneath him. His right hand released my thigh, and he slowly slid one finger into me. I cried out, wrapping my fingers into his hair, grinding his face into my mound. The feeling of his tongue working my clit and his calloused finger sliding in and out of me was almost too much.

He laughed into me and the vibrations just added to the intensity of the sensation and I could barely breath. He slipped another finger into me and picked up his pace and I gasped as they slid over that sensitive spot over and over again. I was bucking into him now, and he had to use all his force to keep me pinned beneath him as he continued to ram his fingers into me and massage my clitoris with his tongue.

My orgasm hit me without warning. One second, I was writhing in pleasure and the next I was clenching around him, my back arching and my toes curling, as I exploded into one of the most intense orgasms I’ve ever experienced. I cried out, as I rode that wave of pleasure, Trevor never moving his head from where it was, continuing to work my body as I came down from the high.

When I’d finally stopped squirming beneath him, he slowly kissed his way back up my body to my mouth. He moved his lips against mine, deepening the kiss until and I could taste myself on his tongue as he lined his body up against mine.

“That was the hottest fuckin’ thing I’ve ever seen.” He growled into my mouth, and I whimpered as his pressed his cock against my dripping entrance. “And I’m going to fuck you so hard, you’re never gonna wanna be fucked by anyone else.”

He pushed into me with one shove of his hips and I gasped at the feeling of him filling me up completely. He drew out and shoved back in quickly and I gasped, arching my back, and driving my hips into his. He stared down at me, sweat beading on his forehead as he rocked into me again and again in deep powerful thrusts, his eyebrows knitted together, every movement drawing another gasp from my lips. I closed my eyes, and his fingers clasped my jaw.

“Keep your eyes open.” He growled and I squeaked, opening them, as he rammed into me, rolling his hips, reigniting that desire in my lower belly. I held his gaze as he fucked me, dark fire burning in his eyes and sending electrical bolts through me, leaving me barely able to think as he slammed into me.

“Fuck.” He exclaimed, pulling out of me and I felt suddenly empty. He flipped me over and pulled me up, so I was kneeling on the mattress. He pushed my back down and I groaned as his head slipped back into me.

“Fuccck.” He groaned. “You’re so fucking tight.” He rocked into me experimentally and I had to bite down into duvet. This new angle was deeper and when he moved, he hit against that spot deep inside me. He laughed and grabbed a fistful of my hair, pulling me up so that I was on all fours.

“Nah-ah, sugartits. I want to hear you.” He rammed into me again and I cried out, that pleasure almost too intense. Almost painful. He laughed again and picked up his pace. He let go of my hair and snaked his hand back around my front, finding that little nub and rubbing it in little circles.

“T-Trevor, I-.” I gasped, barely able to speak as sensation engulfed me.

“Fuckin’ cum for me Ellie.” He hissed between his teeth as he smashed into me, his balls rocking against me with every thrust. I gasped, the raging intensity of my orgasm quivering on the edge as he fucked me. ”Cum for me.”

“Trevor!” I cried and he dug his fingers into my hips as I tipped over the edge again, clenching around his cock as it hammered in and out of me. Moments later he called out my name, slamming into me one final time as he spilled his load deep inside me. He collapsed on top of me, pushing us both down into the bed, his cock still buried in me.

We lay like that for what felt like a lifetime, as I waited for my heart rate to come back down to normal, riding out the aftershocks of my orgasm. When he’d recovered enough to move, he rolled off me, flinging an arm around my waist and spooning me.

“I’ve thought about it a lot too.” He said, his voice a low, shaky growl.

“Hmm?” I said, closing my eyes, feeling his heart pounding against my back.

“You said you’ve thought about doing that a lot?” He said into my ear and I squirmed, the vibrations from his chest warming me as he spoke. “I’ve wanted to fuck you since I first saw you in the desert. Half-naked and covered in blood. You looked feral. Until just fuckin’ now that was the hottest thing I’ve ever fucking seen.”

My heart flipped in my chest. I knew that was a fucking weird thing to have thought, let alone actually said, but it made me feel warm and fuzzy and I sighed, trying to nuzzle back into him further.

“So why didn’t you?” I asked, yawning and he laughed.

“Are you fucking with me? Look at you.” He said, and I rolled over, brushing his cheek with my fingers. He stared back at me, his dark eyes latched onto my hazel ones, tongue darting between his lips and his teeth.

“Look at you.” I said, grinning and he frowned at me.

“I’m being fuckin’ serious, cupcake. You’re like Vinewood beautiful, without the… the fake bullshit and I’m a fuckin’ meth dealer. I’m not saying that I’m not fucking ecstatic this happened, but it was hardly up there with my list of things I thought I would be fuckin’ lucky enough to happen to me today.” He said, grinning. I kissed him gently, throwing my leg over his

“Yeah, well. “I said, grinning. “Trust me when I say this. You’re pretty fucking hot, Trevor. And you’re fast becoming one of my favourite people.”

He laughed and grabbed the blankets, pulling them over us. 

“You know what, sugar? That’s good e-fuckin’-nough for me.” He growled, dipping his head to kiss me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love OG Trellie - so simple, so uncomplicated <3 although it kind of looks like present time Trevor and Ellie are starting to sort themselves out as well, so maybe it's happy times all round...! Next chapter will be sticking with OG Trellie!
> 
> Thanks so much for reading this far - I really hope you're still enjoying it, and thank you so much for taking the time to read it! It really does mean the world :) x


	11. Broken Promises

We never went back to Sandy Shores after that.

Well, Trevor would still go out every so often to see Ron, but the two of us spent most of our time together in the house at Paleto Bay. After a few weeks I’d asked him what he thought about me going back to my apartment for a bit. I was a little worried I was outstaying my welcome and more than a little worried that being with each other twenty-four seven wasn’t necessarily the healthiest start to a relationship. He didn’t say anything when I brought it up, but when I came back later that day a load of my stuff had been moved into the house.

“Trevor?” I asked and he jogged down the stairs, grabbing me by the hips and kissing me.

“Hey.” He said. He was wearing very tight jeans and no shirt, and I struggled to concentrate for a second as I looped my arms around his back and ran my fingers up his warm skin.

“How…?” I paused, looking around. My apartment was over an hour’s drive away, and I didn’t think I’d ever given him the address. “When did you do this?”

“Doesn’t matter.” He pulled out a set of keys and grabbed my hand, dropping them into my palm. “Ron’s gonna get the rest of your shit later.”

“Are you asking me to move in with you?” I asked and he frowned, looking down at the keys in my hand.

“I mean I kind of thought you were quicker off the mark than this, cupcake. Kind of feeling like maybe I should take these back.” He reached over and I closed my palm around them, sticking out my tongue.

“Fuck you.” I said, kissing him quickly and slipping the keys into my pocket.

“Is that an offer?” He asked, and I grinned, my hands slipping down to the button of his jeans. He laughed and kissed me, grabbing my hands, and holding them at my side.

“Mmm.” He breathed, dropping his head to my neck, and nibbling on the sensitive skin. I gasped as that familiar tingling start to grow between my legs, then frowned as he pulled away. “As much as I can’t think of anything better than staying here with you, I’ve gotta go.”

“Go where?” I asked and he shrugged.

“Got a call about a job. Just a courier thing. Should be back by ten.” He kissed me again, grinding his hard on into me and I gasped. “Hold that fuckin’ thought until I get back, sugar.”

I managed to hold that thought until about midnight when panic started to take over, and by two I was in the middle of a full-blown freak out, terrified that something had happened to him.

At about three I heard his key in the lock and I shot out of bed, running down the stairs and jumping into his arms.

“Oof.” He huffed, as I slammed into him. He staggered back, slipping his hands beneath my thighs for support as I wrapped my legs around his waist.

“You’re okay.” I breathed hugging him tightly.

“Woah there, cupcake.” He said, his tone bemused, “What’s wrong?”

“I thought…” I buried my face into his neck, breathing in the scent of sweat and gunpowder. “I was worried that something had happened to you.”

He slid down the wall, until we were sitting on the floor. He moved his hands to my face, pushing my head back until he could see me. He looked slightly perplexed.

“You were worried about me?” he asked, and I nodded.

“You said you’d be back by ten. And you didn’t reply to my text. I was scared something had happened to you.” I whispered and he smiled at me, cupping my face in his hands.

“Well. Ain’t that somethin’.” He said, stroking my cheek and staring at me. “Nothin’ happened to me, sugar. I’m fine.”

I hit him on the arm.

“Yeah, I can fucking see that Trevor. Don’t scare me next time, okay? Just text me or something.” I said and he smiled his eyes darting between mine.

“You were really worried about me?” he said. He lent his head back against the wall and stared at me. “I fucking love you.” He said and my stomach flipped. He threw those words around a lot, but I still got a little thrill every time heard them. I smiled and shrugged.

“Yeah, yeah.” I said bending my head to kiss him again, but he stopped me, catching my chin between his finger and thumb.

“I fucking mean it, cupcake. There aren’t many people in this world that give a shit about me. And nobody cares about me like you do.” He stared at me, his expression gentle and I swallowed. “I love you.”

“I, uh…” I trailed off, suddenly feeling a bit uncomfortable. He smiled at me and shook his head.

“I’m not expecting you to say it back, Ellie. I just wanted you to know that I don’t just say it to hear the sound of my own fucking voice. I fucking mean it.” He said and kissed me gently.

“I love you, too.” I whispered when he broke away from me and he grinned.

“Yeah, sugartits, I fucking know.” He replied.

Living in Blaine County meant working more for The Lost. Once I’d gotten over my hesitation from my disastrous rookie run, and convinced Trevor that he was in no way allowed to tell me what I could and couldn’t do, I came to love working for them, the thrill of it being unlike anything else in the world. For his part, Trevor worked my connections within the gang to position himself as their primary meth dealer and started to grow his business out of the trailer in Sandy Shores. And the more they bought from him the less meth he seemed to take himself so, in general, my life with Trevor was amazing. I’d never been so fucking happy.

Then everything went wrong all at once.

About a year after I’d met him, Trevor organised a bank job for us. It was supposed to be a quick grab and dash, but he fucked up the schedule and during the getaway I got shot. It was touch and go for a while, but after a couple of weeks in hospital I was good as new. But Trevor wasn’t. He couldn’t cope with the idea that I could have died. And that guilt thrust him right back into his rage over what had happened in North Yankton. By the time I had recovered he was already drowning, and his meth use had spiralled into a heroin addiction. Two weeks. That’s all it had taken to irreversibly fuck up the balance of our lives.

At first it wasn’t so bad, not much worse than the meth. I’d come home and find him passed out on the lawn or find him somewhere in the house, incoherent and crying about Michael. But then he really started to lose it. He’d smash stuff up in a rage, get arrested, come home beaten up or covered in someone else’s blood. That’s if he bothered coming home at all. He started spending a lot more time out in Sandy Shores, and even when he was home, he’d sometimes just stare at me, his pupils’ tiny pinpricks in all that amber, barely even there.

I still had him for moments. Little moments between the high and the withdrawal where he was mine, where he’d hug me or fuck me or just chat shit with me. Little moments where we could be Trevor and Ellie. But most of my time was spent desperately trying to keep him alive and keep our life together from slipping away from me.

Then I got the call that my sister Kyle had gotten caught up with Azteca’s and was missing, presumed dead, and I lost it. My fragile grip on my reality slipped and I couldn’t keep us both afloat anymore. I was devastated and exhausted. I didn’t even go back for the funeral just spent two dark weeks in bed, barely moving. Trevor tried to do what he could to help but his addiction left him flaky and callous. One day he just didn’t come back, and I couldn’t even bring myself to care.

I don’t know how long had passed between him leaving and the afternoon that I got the call from Ron, but I think it must have been at least a week. When I finally I managed to muster the energy to answer, a barrage of high-pitched words came streaming over the line and I jumped.

“Ron. Ron. Calm the fuck down.” I said as Ron rambled on the other end. “I can’t understand what you’re fucking saying.”

“It’s T-T-Trevor, Ellie. Something’s wrong. He won’t wake up.” He cried and my heart froze.

“What the fuck, Ron. What the fuck! Is he breathing?” I asked, panicked, sitting bolt upright.

“Ye-yeah. He’s breathing, but… he won’t wake up.” The last words came out as a whisper. I tore out of bed pulling on the closest clothes I could find.

“He needs to go to fuckin’ hospital Ron, call a fucking ambulance.” I yelled, holding the phone between my shoulder and my ear, and grabbing my keys as I ran out the house.

“But Trevor always says no hospitals.” He whined and I swore.

“Okay Ron, I’m on my way. I will try and fucking figure something out, but if he stops breathing call a fucking ambulance. I’ll call you back.” I said, jumping onto my bike and keying in a number.

“Ashley?” I asked as soon as she picked up.

“Ellie? What are you doin’ callin’ me?” came her voice from over the line. She sounded surprised and I didn’t blame her. She was the girlfriend of the head honcho of The Lost. It was a bold move calling her, but I couldn’t think of anyone else with enough influence to get me what I needed.

“Ashley. I need your help. Do you have the number of a medic that can get to Sandy Shores right now?” I said, my voice shaking.

“Uh…. I don’t know, babe. What’s happened?” she asked, and I bit my lip. I liked Ashley. I’d spent a fair bit of time with her when I’d been hanging around Stab City waiting for jobs. I would even go so far as to say that we were friends, but I really didn’t need anyone at The Lost thinking that there was anything wrong with Trevor. That was a recipe for fucking disaster.

“A, uh…” I thought for a second, wracking my brain for something believable. “A business associate of Trevor’s has had a bit too much fun. We need to fix him up or we’ll be in big trouble and I can’t take the risk of running him to hospital. Trevor will owe you big time.” I said, squeezing my eyes shut and crossing my fingers.

“A business associate, huh? What kind of fun?” She asked.

“Heroin.” I replied, quickly.

She was quiet for a moment and I bit my lip, waiting for her response.

“I’ll send someone babe, but you’ll both owe us for this, not just T.” she said, and I breathed out a sigh of relief.

“Yes, of course. Thanks, Ash.” I said. “I gotta go. I’ll meet them at Trevor’s.”

“Okay babe.” She said and hung up. I kicked my bike into gear and sped through the afternoon traffic. When I got there Ron burst out of the trailer, wringing his hands. I pushed past him and through the door. Trevor was on the floor with his eyes closed. I ran to him and knelt down, stroking his cheek. His skin was cold and clammy, and his breathing was shallow.

“Fuck, baby, what have you done?” I whispered, my eyes welling with tears. “How long has he been like this, Ron?”

“I don’t know Ellie, I just found him like this and then I called you.” He said. I shook my head and rolled Trevor over into the recovery position. I heard a car pull up in the driveway followed by a knock at the door.

“Let them in, Ron.” I breathed and he crept to the door, pulling it open. I turned to see a young woman in the doorway.

“Hi… Ellie? Ashley sent me.” She said, stepping into the trailer.

“Thank fuck.” I whispered, moving out of the way so she could get closer to us. She knelt down next to Trevor and started unpacking a small black case.

“How much has he taken?” she asked, uncapping a plastic nasal spray, and setting it on the ground.

“I don’t know.” I whispered and she shook her head, putting a stethoscope to his chest and listening, before grabbing his wrist and pressing her fingers against it.

“His pulse is weak, but steady.” She said, inserting the plastic nozzle of the spray into Trevor’s nose and pulling trigger. “That’s good. That means hopefully it’s not too bad.”

“What is that?” I asked and she handed me the empty container.

“Naloxone. It blocks the effects of the opiates in his brain. Stops the overdose.” She replied. She pulled out a handful more. “This stuff only lasts between twenty and forty minutes. You’ll need to give him another spray in about half an hour and see how he goes.”

I nodded, biting my cheeks.

“When will he wake up?” I asked and she looked at him, considering.

“Probably a couple of hours. If he’s not awake by then you have to call the hospital. This stuff will do its job but, depending on how much he’s taken, the heroin can stay in his system for longer than you can keep dosing him. You’ll need to monitor him carefully over the next twenty-four hours.” She said, and I nodded.

“Thank you.” I said and she shook her head.

“Don’t thank me yet. He should really go to a hospital.” She said, looking at me properly for the first time.

“I know. If it gets to that point, I’ll take him.” I replied and she nodded.

“Okay. Look, here’s my card. If he gets worse give me a call, I can talk you through what you need to do.” She said.

“Thanks.” I replied.

“I’ll leave you some fluid packs as well. Normally we’d want him hooked up to an IV, but this will have to do.” She said, as she stood up and I hugged my arms to myself tightly. She turned to leave but looked back quickly and gave me a little smile.

“Look, hospital would be the best place for him, but I think he’ll be okay. You should know though that the spray will put him into withdrawal. When he wakes up his probably going to try and use again.” She said and covered my face with my hands, pushing my fingers into my eyes.

“Fuck.” I breathed. I let go of my face and looked at her. “Thanks for letting me know.”

“Yeah. You’re welcome. Might be an idea to get someone to pick up some methadone. Could help with the symptoms.” She shrugged “Anyway, good luck.”

She walked out of the door and I sat back down next to Trevor, brushing his clammy forehead and sighing. The only thing left to do was wait it out with him.

That had been about three weeks before I left San Andreas. Trevor had recovered from his overdose and had sworn off the smack. A promise that he’d stuck to all of four days before he was back out in Sandy Shores getting fucked up with Ron. I’d driven out to Ron’s trailer to try and convince him to not give Trevor any more drugs, but it was like trying to get blood from a stone.

“Ron, please.” I sighed, my hands over my face. “You just have to be fucking strong.”

“I, uh, I’m sorry Ellie but Trevor would kill me.” He stuttered and I growled.

“Oh yeah? And you think I fucking won’t?” I hissed, slamming my hand into the wall next to his head. He jumped and cowered away from me. I knew I wasn’t being fair. He was terrified of Trevor and he was right to be. Trevor was so far off the fucking deep end right now that he could probably kill him and not even remember, but this was my third trip out to Sandy Shores this week and I was running out of options. “If he comes round here looking to score just say you haven’t got any. Send him on a goose chase, fuckin’ anything. Don’t you care about him at all?”

That was a low blow. I knew that Ron loved Trevor. Personally, I didn’t get it. Trevor treated him like shit, but I’d seen this pattern of behaviour over and over again. Trevor could be the biggest asshole in the world but that didn’t stop people from falling for him. I was the fucking case and point for that.

“Ron, he’s killing himself. Please just fucking help me.”” I breathed.

“I want to Ellie, I do. But, uh, what can I do? I can’t tell him no. He wouldn’t let me.” he said, shaking. I put my hands to my head and exhaled. The desert heat was beating down on me, drawing sweat from my pores, and I was so fucking tired.

“Just call me, okay? Next time he comes round here just fucking call me and I’ll come get him, okay?” I sighed and Ron nodded, nervously. I knew he wouldn’t. Trevor wouldn’t let him. But I had to try.

“Yeah. Sure, Ellie. I’ll call you.” He murmured and I turned away from him. I pulled out my phone and swore. I was going to be late for work. Again.

I jogged over to my bike, pausing by the steps up to his trailer. Despite his promises to kick the habit, he’d been spending more and more time out here. I thought about going inside but I walked past it. I had enough to fucking deal with without airing any more of his dirty laundry. I grabbed my helmet and clipped it beneath my chin, climbing onto the bike. 

I made it to the Hen House in record time. I’d been working there since my second week in Paleto Bay, picking up some shifts every now and then to bring in a bit of extra money. But after Trevor OD’d I'd started working there full time. I needed to be somewhere close by, doing something simple that I could drop in case something else happened.

I pulled into the parking lot and ran inside, chucking my helmet and bag into the break room before heading out to the bar. Luckily for me it was pretty empty, but I still felt guilty. Aaron, my boss, was hunched over at the end of the bar talking to a customer and I grinned at him. He may have only been my boss for three weeks, but this was my local and we were good friends.

“Hey man. Sorry I’m late, I’ve had a crazy fuckin’ day.” I said. He looked up at me as the guy he’d been talking to grabbed his drink and slipped off his chair, retreating into a quiet corner of the bar.

“Uh, Ellie. Hey.” He said.

“Everything okay?” I asked and he shrugged, struggling to meet my eyes.

“You been home today, babe?” he asked, and I shook my head.

“No, I’ve been out in Sandy Shores all day.” I said, my insides turning to ice. “Is it Trevor? Is everything okay?”

Aaron shook his head.

“Babe, I think you should get home now. Don’t worry about the bar, it’s quiet.” He replied looking down.

“Aaron. What the fuck is going on?” I asked, an edge of hysteria creeping into my voice.

“Look babe. I don’t wanna be the one to tell you this but, uh, Trevor was in here earlier.” He said quietly.

“Trevor’s always fucking in here, Aaron. What happened?” I asked, raising my voice.

“He was...” He trailed off looking miserable. “Look babe, he was with some other chick”.

I froze.

“What do you mean ‘with’?” I asked and he looked away.

“Like _with_ Ellie. All over her. I told ‘em to leave and that he was being disrespectful, but he just laughed and told me to mind my own fuckin’ business. You know what he’s like.” He said.

“Oh my god.” I whispered, feeling sick. “When?”

“Fuck. I don’t know, they left like an hour ago.” He said and I closed my eyes, feeling rage start to burn through my veins. While I’d been out trying to sort out yet another one of his fucking disasters, he’d been here screwing around with some girl.

“I have to go.” I said.

“Uh. Ellie, I know this ain’t my place, but be careful. Trevor… He looked pretty fucked up.”

I didn’t say anything, just ran out of the bar. Our place was literally a stone’s throw from the Hen House, and I reached it in under five minutes. I burst through the door and stopped, my eyes widening. The hallway was trashed. Pictures had been torn down from the walls, ornaments were destroyed, and the bannister was missing several pegs. There was a crash from the living room, and I took a tentative step toward the noise.

He was standing with his back to me, clutching a lamp in his hand. I watched as he raised it over his head and chucked it across the room with a roar.

“Trevor. What the fuck are you doing?” I whispered and he turned to me his eyes manic.

“Why do you fuckin’ care?” He replied, stumbling toward me. He was sweating and he smelled like cheap perfume. My breath caught in my throat.

“I live here Trevor. This is our house, of course I care. Stop it.” I said, frozen to the spot.

“No, this is _my_ fucking house; I’ll do what I fuckin’ want. Maybe you should have some respect, huh?” He hissed at me, his pupils tiny pinpricks darting between mine.

“Jesus Christ. You’re really asking me to have respect?” I said angrily “What have you been doing today, huh? Where were you this afternoon, Trevor?” 

“Fuck you. Fuck. You.” He roared pacing in front of me before storming toward the door.

“No, no, Trevor.” I hissed darting in front of him, cutting him off before he could leave. “Fuck you. You think you can spend all afternoon sleazing over some girl at my fucking _work_ and then fucking rip into me? Where is she, huh? Did you fuck her?”

“Shut the fuck up.” He growled, turning on me, his face like thunder.

“You did, didn’t you. You fuck her here, Trevor? Huh, baby? Did you fuck her in our _fucking bed_?” I was screaming at him now, spittle flying into his face.

“Shut the fuck up.” He roared, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides and I laughed at him, but I could feel tears filling my eyes.

“Do you even fucking know Trevor? Do you have any idea what you did?” I laughed again, a sharp sound like broken glass. A zap of fear flashed in his eyes before it was swallowed up by that thunderous anger. “You don’t do you. It’s fucking pathetic.”

“I said shut the fuck up!” he roared at me, pacing in front of me, just inches separating us.

“Fuck you.” I yelled, driving my pointer finger into his chest as I did.

He grabbed my arm, his fingers digging in so hard that I heard the bones creaked, pushing my back against the wall. I gasped as white-hot pain shot down my arm. He grabbed my other arm and smashed it into the wall, and I yelped. His eyes pierced into mine, tiny little pinpricks drowning in amber.

“You think you’re funny now, huh?” He hissed, increasing the pressure of his hands against my flesh. “You think you’re fuckin tough now?!”

I glared at him, grinding my teeth together, pushing all my pain and grief into my eyes.

“Let me go you piece of shit.” I hissed back, hatred coated my tongue, turning my voice dark and venomous.

“Yeah, or fuckin what? What are you gonna do? Run back to your fuckin sister?” He laughed and I gasped, suddenly as breathless as if he’d punched me in the stomach.

“What did you just say” I breathed, and he glared at me his grip loosening. “What did you just _fucking say to me_?!”

He let go of me suddenly and turned around slamming his fist through the dry wall.

“Fuck!” He screamed. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck” With every curse he slammed his fist further into the wall until it was just a gaping hole and his knuckles were bloody. 

I backed away from him, my head reeling. In all of this he’d never laid a hand on me, not once. And he’d never been this fucking cruel. Had never brought up Kyle. He turned to me and I jumped, stepping away from him my hands in front of me. His expression was broken, and he reached for me. I stepped back. He stared at me, seeing the pain and fear in my face.

“Stay away from me.” I whispered. His eyes dropped to my arms where dark bruises where already starting to blossom in the shape of his hands.

“No.” He whispered, his hands going to his hair. “No, no, no” he moaned. I backed away slowly, his eyes losing focus on me and grabbing the TV tearing it off the wall. I backed away and slipped out the back door.

I leant against the door until the sounds of destruction from inside faded into silence, then cautiously crept back in. He was passed out, face down on the destroyed sofa. I crouched next to him for a second and pressed my fingertips to his neck. His skin was cold and clammy, but his pulse was strong.

I tiptoed up to the bedroom and packed what I couldn’t do without. I paused for a second looking at the little driftwood box but shoved it into my suitcase. He wouldn’t fucking miss it. When I was done, I snuck back down the stairs, left my bag by the front door, and then went to sit on the little wooden stairs down to the beach to wait.

It felt like hours before I finally heard the porch door go. I turned slightly to watch him. He looked pale, tired, and terrified. I gave him a little smile and patted the stairs next to me. He padded over and sat down, flinching as his arm brushed against mine.

“Jesus Ellie, you’re frozen.” He said, quietly and I shrugged.

“It’s not so bad.” I replied looking out across the sea.

“Fuck.” He breathed, his fingers brushing across the angry bruises that had sprung up on my arms. He groaned and buried his face in his hands.

“Are you back?” I asked him, and he looked up at me confused.

“What?” he asked. I pulled his hands away from his face and held them gently in mine. I traced over the newly formed scabs on his knuckles with my thumb. Poor Trevor.

“Are you… better?” I asked and he sighed, his eyes fixed on the bruises on my arms, and nodded.

“I’m so fucking sorry Ellie.” He said, his voice thick like he was about to cry.

“I know baby.” I said and he shuffled closer to me.

“I don’t…” he paused looking sick, “I don’t think that I did anything with th-that girl. I swear to fucking God, I never meant to. I didn’t know what I was fucking doin-“ I shushed him.

“It doesn’t matter.” I said turning into him so I could rest my head on his shoulder. “I know you didn’t mean to.”

“I promise that I’ll make it up to you, sugar. I’ll really fuckin’ try this time.” He said, fervently, but I was just quiet. I’d heard this a line few times in the past month and every time the resulting chaos was worse than the time before.

“I have to go, Trevor.” I said and he stiffened beside me.

“Go where?” he asked.

“Go away.” I said. “I can’t stay here with you anymore.”

“No.” he whispered.

I turned my head to him, and his eyes were wide, and his skin was looking a little green. I opened my mouth to speak, but he cut me off.

“Please don’t do this to me. I’m sorry, okay? I know that I fucked up and that it was fucking bad, but I’ll get better. I promise I’ll get better.” He said turning round so that he was properly looking at me, his knees brushing against mine. “Please, I promise you I’ll get better.”

I smiled at him and brought my hand up to his face.

“I hope so, baby. And I know you can do it. But I can’t be a part of it. At the moment me being here… I think it’s making you worse.” I said.

“No. No, Ellie, it’s not. It’s the opposite. You’re the only good thing I have. Please don’t go.” He said, and he was panicking now. “ _Please_.”

I stood up, emotion swirling inside me and I bit my lip to hold back the tears.

“I’m sorry if telling you like this is making it harder. I didn’t want you to wake up with the house destroyed and me just… gone.” I whispered, “I love you so much, but I can’t stay here anymore.”

I turned away from him and walked back into the house, hearing the screen door go as he followed me inside. My heart was pounding in my chest and I felt scared and sick. I walked to the hallway and picked up my bag. He looked down at it then back at me and shook his head. I reached out to open it the door, but he stuck his arm out holding it closed.

“Please don’t fucking leave. Give me one last chance, please. I love you so fucking much.” He whispered, tears leaking from his eyes. His tears set me off. I’d known that this would be hard, but it felt like I was being stabbed in the gut over and over and I could barely look at him. I felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest and I sobbed, dropping my bag.

“I love you so much.” I cried, leaning into him, and wrapping my arms around his neck. “I’m so sorry.” I kissed him and his hand dropped from the door as he pulled me into him. I kissed him like I had so many other times, like I would die if I didn’t. And, when it was over, I picked my bag up, told him I loved him and walked out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lord above. I actually really struggled to write this chapter - mainly because OG Trellie are my fave and even though throughout the whole story I knew they were going to break up at some point it was still HARD to WRITE. I also had no idea that there was a drug that could stop a heroin overdose... Learn something new everyday! Next chapter is back in the present as the gang get ready to hit the Port!
> 
> Hope that you enjoyed this chapter, and thank you so so so so so so so much for reading it! I'm really loving writing it and getting such a positive response has been a little overwhelming! I've extended the chapters from fourteen to fifteen, as I wanted to include this one to give some more context to their relationship and why it's been so difficult for them to come back together. I also just realised when I was editing that this chapter is insanely long so a thousand (or five!) apologies.
> 
> As always, thank you for the comments and the kudos, they make me happy <3


	12. The Heist at The Port of Los Santos

I woke up in Trevor’s apartment in Vespucci Beach to find his face inches from mine, his lips curved upward slightly as he watched me.

“Hey.” I said, stretching out my arms and wrapping them round him.

“Well, hello there.” He said. “Sorry that I fell asleep on you last night.”

“Don’t worry about it. I much prefer you when you’re sleeping.” I yawned and his eyebrows knotted together.

“I’m kidding.” I said, smiling at him sleepily. “I only slightly prefer you that way.”

He growled at that and pulled me closer. I closed my eyes and breathed in, burying my face in the curve of his neck, as he ran his hands under the fabric of my dress, tracing little patterns on my back. I let out a soft, contented sigh. It felt so good to wake up to him. 

“Lester called.” He murmured and I kissed his neck. “Frank should be here within the hour with the uniforms.” I nodded, not bothering to respond as I brushed sleepy kisses along his collarbone, and he breathed in sharply.

He dropped his fingers to the waistband of my tights and pulled them down, I wiggled my hips to help him and I felt him smile into my hair. When I was free, I wrapped my legs around him, loving the feel of his stiffening length through his sweats, and he groaned. He rolled onto his back, pulling me on top of him, running his hands down and cupping my ass.

My breathing was coming a little quicker now as he gently rolled his hips up into mine, rubbing himself across my exposed mound, separated by only a thin layer of fabric. I licked a line from his collarbone to his ear and sucked his earlobe into my mouth. He gasped and bucked into me sharply, and I closed my eyes, that movement sending little electric shocks through my lower belly.

“Please.” I whispered suddenly just needing to feel him inside me, and he groaned, dropping his hands to his pants, and pulling out his cock. I sighed as I felt the heat of his stiffness bump into my thigh, and then he was slowly pushing his length into me, filling me up. I gasped into his ear. He moved gently but it was still a little painful as I wasn’t quite ready for him. I could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he completely buried himself inside me and held himself there.

“You okay?” he whispered, and I nodded into his neck, biting down gently. He shuddered as he drew himself out of me and I gasped again as he started to push into me, as slowly as before. I dropped my head down to his chest as he ran his hands up from my ass to hold onto my hips to help guide himself. The more he moved the more the electricity in my belly started to grow. Each gentle thrust sending little sparks through me and as he picked up his pace, I could feel that warm, orgasmic wave unfurling, my own pleasure catching up with his as he rocked into me faster.

He started to growl beneath me, muttering to himself and I captured his lips in mine, breathing him in as he moved inside me. I felt full and electric and so in love with him that it was all too much, and suddenly I knew that I was going to cry. I screwed my eyes shut, trying to hide it from him, but he caught my face with one hand.

“Are you okay?” he said, frowning as his amber eyes locked with my shining ones. I bit my lip and nodded, but a single tear escaped. His eyes widened and he stopped moving, buried inside me. “Shit, sugar, am I hurting you?”

“No,” I said, but it came out as a whisper. “Please don’t stop, Trevor.”

“God.” He groaned, bucking into me before managing to control himself. Sweat was beaded on his forehead, his eyebrows knotted together as he stared up at me. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong.” I said, rocking my hips into his, but he grabbed onto me so that I couldn’t move.

“Sweetcheeks.” He growled and I closed my eyes, embarrassed.

“Nothing’s wrong. I just… I just love you. I’m really happy.” I whispered and he stiffened.

“You’re crying because you love me.” He said, watching me and I nodded, blushing. He closed his eyes, and his body shuddered, his cock twitching inside me. “Fuck, Ellie.”

He grabbed my face and pulled me back to his mouth, his tongue slipping between my lips as he kissed me. He thrust into me harder than before and I gasped as he drew out and rammed back into me again, that little spark of electricity jolting into a shock of pleasure with each thrust. I tried to move away but he held me to him, kissing me deeply. I moaned into his mouth as every thrust pushed me closer to the edge, each movement setting my body on fire.

“Trevor…” I whispered into his mouth and he groaned, breaking the kiss, and staring at me with a burning desperation.

“Tell me again.” He said through gritted teeth. His breathing was erratic, and I could tell he was close. My own orgasm was hovering on the brink and he slammed into me. “Tell me you love me.”

“I –“ I tried, almost drowning in the sensation, almost unable to speak. “ I love you, Trevor.” I gasped and he swore, driving himself into me and the wave broke. I cried out, clenching around him, my mouth a perfect ‘O’ as the pleasure burst like a damn and washed over me. I shuddered as I felt him finish. The pleasure was intense and felt like it would never end as I writhed above him. He rocked into me a few more times, riding his own wave, and then held me against him, as I shook through the remains of my orgasm. 

He kissed me lightly on my temple and I smiled at him, still a little shaky.

“I fucking love you.” He said and I pressed my lips against his sweaty forehead.

“Good. Otherwise, it would make what I just said pretty fucking embarrassing.” I said, and he laughed. I rolled off him, stretching out on my back and he immediately flipped over onto me, pinning me to the bed.

“You think you’re goin’ somewhere, sugar?” he asked, and I giggled.

“T, we can’t do this every single time I try to get up.” I said, but I smiled at him. “Plus, I do actually have to get ready. Got that whole heist thing today, remember?”

He kissed me suddenly, all lips and teeth and tongues and it took my breath away. He pulled back and grinned, obviously satisfied with my reaction, before rolling off me.

“Speaking of work, Lester told me to tell you to doll yourself up today, sugar. Something about it being easier for you to sneak into that fuckin’ place if people are distracted by your tits.” He said and I looked at him still trying to catch my breath.

“Lester said that?” I asked, frowning and he grinned.

“Maybe I was paraphrasing, but yeah he said something like that.” He said and I shrugged. I guess it kind of made sense. I walked to the bathroom and grabbed a quick shower. I heard the front door open as I was switching off the water. I had just wrapped a towel around myself when Trevor let himself into the bathroom carrying a plastic bag.

“Mmm.” He growled, taking a step toward me and I held up a hand to his chest keep a distance between us.

“Franklin here?” I asked and he nodded. “Is that the uniform?” I asked again and he nodded making no move to hand it to me. “Can I have it?” I sighed, and he grinned.

“If you do somethin’ for me first, sure.” He said and I narrowed my eyes at him.

“What?” I asked, my voice low. He grinned wider and tapped a finger against his cheek.

“Give daddy some sugar.” He purred and I rolled my eyes. I grabbed him by the shirt and tugged him to me, smacking my lips into his and plucking the bag out of his surprised hands. He stood there dazed, and I stepped past him and out of the bathroom.

Franklin was sat on the couch on his phone and I slipped into the bedroom, closing the door behind me. I grabbed my bag. If Lester wanted ‘dolled up’ he was gonna get it. I plucked out my makeup bag and rifled through it, until I found what I was looking for.

When I was done, I looked like me but a thousand times better. My pale skin was flawless and dewy, and my lips were a deep red. I wasn’t super sure what I was doing when it came to eye makeup, but the mascara had made my hazel eyes look even bigger than normal, framed by thick, dark lashes.

I grabbed the bag that Trevor had given me and pulled out the khaki jumpsuit and long-sleeved charcoal undershirt that made up the Post OP uniform. I pulled them both on then shook out my auburn hair, clipping it back slightly to better frame my face and decided I was as dolled up as I was ever gonna be and left the room to join the boys.

They were sat on the couch, deep in some conversation and I bounced over to them.

“Well, what do we think? Disguise achieved?” I asked. They turned their heads to me, and both of their jaws dropped. Like literally. Franklin’s mouth was hanging open and Trevor looked like he was about to die. He made a strangled noise, reaching for me, and Franklin grabbed the back of his shirt.

“Damn, girl. You trying to kill him?” he asked me laughing, “We got fuckin’ work to do.”

Franklin let Trevor go and sat back, looking effortlessly cool in dark jeans and a black jumper while Trevor, frankly, looked ridiculous. He was wearing khaki short shorts, a short sleeved black polo, and a lemon-yellow hat. I giggled and he growled at me, but he was transfixed. I looked away from him.

“How are you, Franklin?” I asked and he grinned at me.

“I’m alright girl, but I’ll be better when we dealt with this shit. You good?” he replied.

“I’m really fucking good.” I said, my eyes flicking to Trevor and smiling at him. He audibly swallowed, shifting uncomfortably in his chair, his hand on his crotch. “You okay, T?” I asked, innocently, and he just nodded, staring at me. I shot him another little smile as the front door opened. Michael and Lester rounded the corner, stopping in shocked silence as I turned to greet them. Lester was the first one to speak when he’d managed to pick his jaw up off the floor.

“Ellie.” He said, his voice a little more wheezy than normal. “Do you even know the meaning of ‘a low profile’?”

My mouth dropped open in outrage.

“Seriously Lester? Low profile is like the literal opposite of ‘dolled up’.” Lester frowned at me.

“What are you talking about?” He asked and I looked back at him, equally confused.

“Trevor said-“ I started and then closed my eyes, immediately understanding where I’d gone wrong. I shot Trevor a filthy look, but he just gave me a weak smile. “Do I need to tone it down?” I asked and Lester shook his head.

“No. You should be fine. And to be fair, you’re less likely to be stopped for the wrong reasons looking like that.” He shuffled to the kitchen counter and unsnapped his briefcase. “Franklin, do you have Michael’s uniform?”

Franklin stood and threw a plastic bag to Michael who caught it against his chest, still staring at me.

“Looking good, kid.” He said, his eyes slowly flicking down my body. “Real good.” He was already wearing a similar colour undershirt as me and tight black shorts. He pulled the khaki overalls over his clothes and he grinned gesturing between our matching outfits. “You know what, I think we kind of suit being a pair.”

He laughed and I heard an angry rumbling from the couch.

“Shut the fuck up, Michael.” growled Trevor and I looked over at him meeting his eyes, his expression caught somewhere between anger and uncertainty. I could almost hear him mentally comparing himself to Michael and coming up short.

“Yeah, shut the fuck up, Michael.” I echoed, smiling at Trevor. His eyes lit up and he leapt over the sofa, barrelling into me. He dipped his head to mine and kissed me.

“Fucking _Michael_ , right” he whispered against my lips and I laughed into his mouth.

“Right.” I whispered back and he leant against the wall, dragging me with him so that my back was flush against his chest, his hands snaking around my waist.

Michael rolled his eyes.

“So, I guess you guys are good, huh?” he asked.

“None of your fuckin’ business, Mikey.” barked Trevor and I grinned. Lester shook his head.

“Great. So, if you two can give it a rest for the moment, can we please focus on this job? Because we are literally doing this thing right now.” He said and I gave him an apologetic smile. He pulled out a handful of lanyards and earpieces and handed them out to us.

“You’ll need to wear these earpieces. There are a lot of moving parts in this score, so keep the communication channels open but try not to get distracted.” He stopped when he said that, looking pointedly at Trevor. I bit my lip to stop myself from smiling.

“Trevor, you’re up first. You’re going to be taking a trip out to Rancho to visit the home of one Manny Garcia.”

“Fuckin’ who?” asked Trevor, his hot breath rustling my hair as he spoke.

“Mr. Garcia is the guy that’s usually responsible for moving shipping creates from Pier 400 to the various shipping yards and warehouses around the docks. Today, I think it would be best if he doesn’t make it into work, if you catch my drift.”

Trevor nodded behind me and I literally felt him shudder with excitement. I elbowed him sharply in the ribs.

“Don’t kill him.” I said and Trevor spluttered in outrage.

“I would never!” he grinned, tightening his grip around my waist.

“Yes, well.” Lester said, turning to Michael. “Michael, welcome to your first day as agency cover for Manny. You need to get to the freighter that’s docked at Pier 400 and unload the shipping crate. It should be easy enough to operate, but you need to be careful to blend in. Security has been high at the Pier since _someone_.” He said, shooting Trevor a dirty look. “Thought it would be a good idea to blow up a freighter and steal a superweapon.”

My eyes widened and I turned my head back to look at Trevor who shrugged but his eyes were dancing. Jesus Christ.

“Once you have it,” continued Lester, “you need to drop the crate to bay sixteen at the Post OP Terminal where Franklin will be waiting to pick it up. Secure the crate to the trailer and then the two of you can drive to the drop off together.”

“You got it, Les.” Said Michael, nodding. Lester turned to me.

“Ellie, everything you’ll need is in this briefcase. It’s got the replacement consignment papers and the USB. When you get into the office, you’ll need to head up to the second floor and plug the USB into the computer terminal. I can then remote access to delete the records. This will take a few minutes so if anyone comes in, you’ll have to stall them. You can use that time to swap out the real papers with the fakes.”

I took the briefcase and held it by the handle in both hands, leaning back into Trevor’s warmth and nodding.

“Easy.” I said and he smiled.

“Good. If no questions then Trevor you better head out, you need to intercept Manny before he reaches the docks. I’ll send you the coordinates now.” Trevor squeeze my waist lightly and I stepped to the side. He took my hand and was about to say something when he looked at Michael and narrowed his eyes. He took the briefcase and placed it on the floor, pulling me into the bathroom and shutting the door behind us.

“Everything okay?” I asked and he nodded, putting his hand up to my cheek and brushing a stray piece of hair away from my face.

“You look so goddamn beautiful. I fuckin’ love you.” He said and my heart flipped. I reached up, swivelling his yellow cap so that he was wearing it sideways.

“Thanks. You look like an idiot. But I love you, too.” I said with a grin. He scowled but quickly pulled me into him, hugging me tightly.

“I’m scared that something’s gonna happen to you.” He said quietly, and I could feel him trembling. I bit my lip. I had wondered if this would come up. The last time we’d done something like this together I’d gotten shot and we’d broken up. I thought for a second, weighing my words carefully before responding.

“I get that baby. I’m scared somethings going to happen to you too, but that’s what this life is.” I cupped his face is my hand and he stared down at me, his eyes shifting between mine. “Not that it will, but if something does happen to me you have to promise me that you won’t blame yourself. We both make our own decisions and being on this job is mine.” I whispered and he nodded. I rolled up on my tiptoes and pushed my lips against his.

“I love you.” I said and he smiled.

“I love you.” He replied. I moved my hand up to his mouth to rub away some lipstick that had clung there, but he grabbed my hand to stop me. “I’ll see you later.” He said and left the bathroom.

I leaned against the sink for a few minutes trying to calm myself down. This was going to be a simple in and out job. It had been planned by Lester for fucks sake, but I couldn’t help it. I was worried about him.

I took a breath and walked out to find just Lester in the hall waiting for me.

“Hey,” Lester said, looking at me, “Michael and Franklin have already left. When you get to the office Franklin will be parked outside. Do not interact with him. Just head straight in and up to the second floor.” I nodded and grabbed the briefcase from the floor. “You’re taking Michaels car. It’s parked in the bay downstairs.” 

“Sounds good, Les. I’ll see you later.” I said and he nodded. I walked out of the apartment and jogged down the stairs to find a black Obey Tailgater parked by the stairs. I climbed into the car and slipped in the earpiece to hear Michael and Trevor arguing about something, and I sighed.

“That you, E? Can you hear me?” Came Trevor’s voice over the earpiece and I grinned.

“Loud and clear, T.” I replied.

“Mm, oh baby, this is hot.” he growled “What are you wearing?” he asked I giggled.

“Man will you two keep that shit to a fuckin’ minimum?” Came Michael’s voice and I laughed as I made my way out of Vespucci toward the freeway. “Please try and remember this is a five-way call.”

“Is that jealousy I hear, M? If it helps, she tastes as good as she looks.” drawled Trevor and I gasped in outrage.

“Shut the fuck up.” I hissed and I heard Franklin laugh.

“Man, she really don’t put up with your shit, huh T.” he chuckled, and I rolled my eyes as I drove past the Maze Bank arena.

“That she does not.” He replied, happily. “L, I’m approaching the target. I’ll confirm when he’s been taken out” he said, and his line went quiet. I drove in silence until I got to the dock, swallowing back my anxiety with every minute that passed with no word from Trevor.

I bit my lip as I turned into the docks, following the road down to the Post OP Terminal where the cement met the Pacific Ocean. I parked up in the employee parking zone and checked my wing mirror, spotting Franklin parked up at Bay sixteen. I flashed him a grin, and he moved his hand over his face to hide a smile.

“M, what’s your position?” I asked and I heard him grunt.

“Just loading the crate at Pier 400.” He said, quietly.

“Not entirely sure how I feel about you talkin’ to other men about _positions_ , sugar.” came Trevor’s voice in my ear.

“Shut it, T.” I said, but I couldn’t hide the relief in my voice. I grabbed the briefcase and walked past a couple of guys having a smoke, giving them a little smile as I headed into the main office building. Lester had said that the terminal was on the second floor, so I took the stairs two at a time. Mercifully, the upstairs of the building was empty.

“L, I’m in.” I whispered, checking the stairwell behind me.

“Okay. There should be a terminal at the end of the office, by the printer. I need you to switch it on and plug in the USB.” He said. I crossed the room and put down the briefcase, flicking it open and plugging the USB into the socket. I stood up and switched it on, turning round and spotting a row of filing cabinets along the wall.

“Done. I can see cabinets. Is that where the papers will be?” I asked.

“Affirmative.” He replied and I grabbed the fakes from the briefcase, walking across the room.

“L. We’re loaded up and headed to the drop off point now. E, we’ll catch you there.” Came Franklin’s voice over the radio. I ignored them as I worked my way through the filing cabinets, finally managing to match the consignment numbers and swapped out the two documents. I was just slipping the real papers into the briefcase when I heard the stairwell door swing open.

“Hello?” Came a deep voice. I shut the lid of the briefcase and spun around.

“Hi.” I said smiling as a tall man with dark hair walked in. He looked me up and down and frowned.

“I need a couple more minutes, E.” Lester said in my ear and I swallowed.

“What are you doing up here?” The man said and I stared at him.

“Working. What are you doing up here?” I retorted and he raised his eyebrows, his lips quirking to the side in a half smile.

“Working.” He replied, studying me. I bit my lip, trying my damned best to look alluring.

“Can I help with something?” I asked and he looked at me.

“You can help by explaining what you’re really doing here.” He said taking a couple of steps towards me. Fuck.

“Look, dude. I don’t know what you expect me to say.” I said and he stared at me before breaking into a grin.

“I mean, you can explain what you’re doing here when you should be grabbing a coffee with me.” He said and I swallowed, silently praying that my channel had cut out for that bit. I heard a string of expletives in my ear and I smiled at the guy as Michael tried to placate Trevor over the airwaves.

“Riiiiight.” I said. “I get it. Good one.”

“How come I haven’t seen you around before…” he said, dropping his hand to my pass and reading the name there. “Stella?”

I smiled at him and cocked my head to side looking him up and down.

“I’m here on transfer.” I said and his grin widened.

“Oh yeah? Well, how about I show you round some time? Show you the real Los Santos.” He asked.

“Another minute, E.” Lester said, but I was barely able to hear him over Trevor raging through the earpiece. I grimaced and the guys face fell, but I smiled at him again.

“You know what. I would love to.” I said and he looked a little surprised.

“Really?” he said, and I grinned.

“Why not. It would be good to get to know some people, have a guided tour of the city. Sounds like fun.” I said, leaning back against the desk and looking up at him. He actually was quite good looking if you were into that rugged, classically handsome thing. If it wasn’t for the unfortunate fact that I was in love with the neighbourhood psychopath I’m sure we could have had a good time.

“Just to be clear though.” He said and I cringed internally, begging him not to say it, not sure if I could cope with the noise that it would inevitably draw from Trevor. “I’m asking you on a date.

“I’m going to fuckin’ kill him. Who the fuck does this little prick think he-?” Trevor roared in my ear, and I had to physically stop myself from wincing before he was cut off.

“Great.” I said and he grinned back at me looking me up and down. “It’s a date. How are you fixed for Friday after work?”

“Sounds great.” He said, holding out his hand to me. “I’m Mark, by the way.” I smiled at him.

“Good name.” I said taking his hand. He held it gently as he shook it, and I bit my lip to stop myself from rolling my eyes.

“Thanks.” He replied.

“Got it, E. Get out of there.” Lester whispered. I turned away from him and subtly pulled out the USB key, shoving it into the briefcase and snapping it closed. I turned back to him.

“Okay. So, Friday after work.” I said and he nodded.

“Great. I guess I’ll see you then. Nice to meet you, Mark” I said, smiling at him as I breezed past reaching for the door to the staircase.

“Trust me, Ellie. The pleasure was all mine.” I froze. Before I even had time to process what was wrong with that sentence, he had grabbed me from behind, his large hand covering my mouth and nose. I struggled against him, but it was no use as I felt the scratchy pinprick of a needle in my arm and the world started to spin.

The last thing I heard before Mark ripped the earpiece out of my ear was Michael’s voice over the airwaves.

“E? E? Ellie! What the fuck is happening over there?” he yelled, panicked.

And then everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dunnnnnnn... So it seems like Trevor was along the right lines for raging against creepy Mark! Although he did trick her into glamming up for the job, so...
> 
> Thank you for so much for reading!!!!! Hope you're still enjoying it as much as I'm loving writing it. Only three chapters left to go now!
> 
> As always your kudos and comments mean the world, so thank you :)


	13. Kidnapped

I startled awake, my heart in my throat.

The room that I was in was dimly lit and I had to blink a couple of times to get the blurry shape in front of me to come into focus. I was sitting at a table, my hands tied behind me, the sharp edges of zip ties digging into the flesh of my wrists.

I tried to move my head up from where it was rested, chin against my chest, but the movement sent a lightning bolt of pain through my head. I groaned. I had vague memories of voices and the sensation of being in a car as I drifted in between darkness and light, but I had no idea how long I’d been out. I winced as I slowly raised my head.

There was a man sitting opposite me. His head was resting on the metal table, his cheek flat to it and his eyes trained on me. His dark features looked familiar, but my brain was too much of a blur to be able to place him. I managed to keep hold of my tentative grasp on my consciousness just enough to not black out again, and he smiled at me.

“Nice of you to join us, beautiful.” He said. I tried to speak, but my voice wasn’t working. I swallowed a couple of times, trying to work some moisture into my dry vocal chords and he chuckled. “Don’t worry Ellie, it’ll come.”

“Fuck.” I eventually wheezed after clearing my throat a couple of times. Not my most eloquent response, but it would have to do.

“There you go. Not so hard, right?” he said, with a half-smile. I tried to come up with something snappy to say, but I couldn’t think past the pounding in my head. He pushed himself up off the table and leant back in his chair, studying me.

“Who the –“ I paused to cough as my words tripped over the dryness in my throat, “Who the fuck are you?” I asked. I knew deep down that I was in a very bad situation, but I was too out of it to be scared yet. His lips pressed into a tight grimace and his shoulders dropped.

“Who am I? And there was me thinking we had a connection.” He said. “It’s Mark. From the warehouse? Jesus, I didn’t think the dose was that strong.”

My eyes widened as I remembered him from the office at the Post Op Warehouse. The flirting, the date and, most importantly, the scratchy prick of the needle in my arm. He’d changed out of overalls and into a dark t-shirt and black jeans and was oozing with bad guy vibes. I thought quickly. I had two choices. I could either go on the attack or I could try and be charming. A memory popped into my head of his genuine delight when I’d agreed to go out with him, and I decided.

“Is this your idea of a date?” I asked, trying for flirty, but my voice was too weak, and I just sounded tired. He laughed, a surprised sounding chuckle. He leaned forward, elbows on the table, cupping his face in his hands as he stared at me.

“Yeah, sorry about that.” He said, and then grinned. “Although if I had to guess I’d say you were planning on standing me up?” I shrugged and immediately regretted it as the movement sent a fresh wave of pain through my head.

“God.” I groaned. This time the head pain was accompanied by a wave of nausea, and I momentarily forgot the charm offensive. “What the fuck did you stick me with?”

“Does that really matter?” He asked, cocking his head to the side. A cold rush of fear flashed through me, and I licked my lips.

“No, I guess not.” I said, trying to keep my head as still as possible as I spoke. I didn’t want to think about why it didn’t matter what he’d injected me with, but my fear must have shown on my face because he frowned at me.

“Look. I know this don’t look great for you right now, but if you play nice then we ain’t gonna hurt you.” He said, his voice gentle as he looked back at me. “We just gotta wait it out here for a little bit.”

“What are we waiting for?” I asked, but he ignored me, opting instead to study my face. His eyes fell over my features before coming to a rest on my lips.

“You know, you still look pretty good for someone that’s been knocked out for a day and a half.” He said and I bit back a sigh. Fucking men.

“Oh yeah?” I replied with a forced smile. “I bet you say that to all the girls you kidnap.”

He laughed at that and shook his head. I looked around the room, finally feeling like my mental faculties were finally beginning to return to me. There were no windows, but just behind Mark was a heavy metal door. I was gonna push the boat out and assume it was locked. I looked to my right and almost jumped out of my skin as I realised that I was flanked by a big burly man, dressed head to toe in black. He didn’t turn as I looked at him, but his meaty hands tightened around the rifle that he was holding. I turned to the left, and sure enough there was another almost identical looking guy, staring straight ahead as he clutched his gun.

I turned my head toward Mark. He was leaning back in his chair, watching me. When my eyes met his he gave me a little smile and I was struck again by his looks. He was literally exactly my type, and I found it a little disconcerting.

“Will you tell me who you’re working for?” I asked and he frowned, folding his arms across his chest.

“Surely you already know that?” He asked.

“The Aztecas.” I said and he nodded. I looked at him. That would make the most sense, and yet…

“Mark’s not a very Azteca name.” I said, and he smiled.

“Maybe I’m an outside hire?” he replied, and I raised my eyebrows.

“Are you?” I asked, and he shrugged. I swallowed and tried again. “Why didn’t you just kill me at the docks? Why bring me here?”

“I just said we’re not planning on hurting you, Ellie. As for the rest of it, I’m just following orders. My job was to get you from the docks and to bring you to here. Beyond that I didn’t ask many questions.” He said and I rolled my eyes.

“A good little soldier, huh?” I asked. My voice was getting back to normal now. The more I spoke the easier it was getting, the pressure in my throat easing, but I could feel myself starting to panic. It didn’t matter how many times someone told you they weren’t going to hurt you. If you were tied up in a dark room surrounded by meatheads with guns, your prospects weren’t great. He smiled and shrugged.

“It is what it is.” He said, simply, rising from his chair and coming to crouch next to me. I clenched my fists, straining against the zip ties. I kept my face forward, but he touched my chin and moved my face to look at him.

“You know it might be a bit weird to say this, but we definitely had chemistry back in the warehouse, didn’t we?” he asked, and I looked at him. I wasn’t sure how to play this. On the one hand I didn’t want to piss him off by knocking his confidence. He’d been nice so far and I didn’t want to tip the scales out of my favour. But on the other hand, I didn’t want to give him the impression that I was a candidate for Stockholm syndrome.

“Sorry, but no.” I said, trying to keep my voice level. “It’s not you. You’re a good-looking guy. Let’s just put it down to circumstance.”

“Can’t admit you have a crush on the kidnapper?” He asked.

“Trust me, I’ve had weirder crushes.” I said with a smile. He grinned back at me and I didn’t like the look the lurked behind it.

“Like that crazy fucker?” he asked, and I jolted back like he’d slapped me. I could have kicked myself. I hadn’t even thought about what might have happened to Trevor and the guys. The trap was for me, but they were my crew. I hadn’t even thought enough to worry about him but as I did my breath caught in my throat.

“I swear to God if you’ve fucking hurt him.” I breathed, panic and anger swirling in my chest, and he smiled, brushing a lock of hair away from my face. I flinched away from him.

“You really care about him, huh?” He asked, and for a second I saw something almost like sympathy flash behind his eyes. A bolt of terror speared me through the stomach.

“Where is he?” I asked, and Mark shook his head, reaching for me again and anger flared up in my belly and I spat in his face.

There was a sharp crack and immediate pain as the butt of a rifle collided with the side of my head. I cried out as stars blinded my vision, gritting my teeth as my brain sloshed around in my head and nausea rose in my stomach. There was no stopping it this time and I threw up. What little contents I had in my stomach splattering over the floor.

I heard someone swear and I jumped as a gunshot rang out, the sound ricocheting through my head and driving the pain deeper. I felt something warm and wet spray on me and soak through the fabric of my overalls. I opened my eyes, wincing. 

“Jesus.” I gasped, realising that my left side was covered in blood. I looked down to see one of the guards prone on the floor, gurgling through a gaping hole that had been blown through his throat. I dry heaved, the wet gurgle continuing for a just a few more seconds before it went silent.

I looked up at Mark through watery eyes. He was holding a gun loosely at his side and behind him stood the other guard, staring open mouthed at the body on the floor. Mark glanced back at him and nodded toward the corpse.

“Get him the fuck out of here.” He said, his voice low and dangerous. He put both hands flat on the table and breathed in deeply.

“You okay?” He asked, looking over at me. My eyes were watering from the combination of pain and the bile that burnt at the back of my throat. I was scared, but I couldn’t think about that right now.

“What have you done to Trevor.” I asked, my voice croaky.

“Look, I don’t know what’s happened to your fucking boyfriend, alright?” He exploded. “I told you, my orders were to get you.”

He raised his hand to touch where the rifle had hit me. I winced and his hand came away stained red.

“Fuck. He wasn’t supposed to do that.” His voice dropped and I could hear genuine concern in his voice. Anger bubbled up inside me.

“I don’t know if this is your first kidnapping or what, but the safety of the hostage is usually pretty fucking far down on the priority list.” I snapped. “What the fuck is going on here.”

He gritted his teeth and looked away from me.

“Sit tight, I gotta make a call.” He said, “I’ll be back soon.” He walked to the door quickly, turning the handle and leaving the room.

I stared at the door. The pain in my head was killing me and I could feel my eyes getting heavy as I tried to think this through. I couldn’t understand why I was alive and tied up in this room. Mark could have killed me in the warehouse, and I was pretty sure that the Azteca’s wanted me dead. And how the fuck did Mark know about Trevor? The questions were whirling in my head and as I tried to keep them apart I could feel my eyelids getting heavy. I opened my eyes wide, trying to hold onto my consciousness, but the world began to spin, and I blacked out again.

I jolted awake to the sound of gunfire. I was still alone in the room but thanks to the lack of windows there was no way of knowing how long I’d been out for. I gingerly moved my head. The pain was definitely still there but it seemed more manageable than before. The door opened and Mark slipped in, shutting it quietly behind him, typing furiously on his phone.

“Fuck.” He growled. He tapped at the phone again. It started to ring, and relief flashed over his face before he answered it.

“Hey.” He said, pacing by the door. “Yeah, we got her. But we got a problem.”

His eyes widened and he looked at me.

“Yeah, but it wasn’t my fault.” He hissed, “It was that fucking guy that you hired. He didn’t speak any fucking English and clearly didn’t understand what the fuck I was telling him.” He was quiet and his eyes suddenly filled with fear.

“Don’t you dare. Don’t you fucking dare. You know it wasn’t my fault.” He said, his voice an octave higher than usual. “I swear to God.”

“If you don’t fucking send reinforcements, they’re going to get her, and you’ll be back to square one.” He hissed, and then paled. He held the phone away from his ear and I could see that the call was disconnected. He looked at me his eyes wide.

“Right.” He said to himself more than anyone else. “Fuck.”

The sound of gunfire got closer and he started to shake. He walked over to me and pulled out a knife. I jerked away from him and he frowned.

“I’m not gonna fucking hurt you.” He said, coming behind me and cutting the zip ties so my hands were free. I wiggled my fingers. “Get up.”

I shakily pushed myself to my feet and he helped me stand up. As soon as I was standing, I felt the barrel of a gun push into my lower spine through the folds of the overalls. I gulped and he whispered into my ear.

“Look. I haven’t done anything to you alright. I was just following fucking orders. When that psychopath gets here, I need you to tell him that I didn’t fucking hurt you, okay? That I put a bullet through the throat of the guy that did. You got me?” I nodded and he ground the gun into my bones. “I need you to say it.”

“I got it.” I replied, my voice was still weak, but I felt stronger. The sounds of shooting had almost reached us, and I barely had time to take another breath before the door was kicked in.

Trevor stepped into the room covered in blood and panting. His eyes were twins flames of rage that momentarily subsided as they landed on me but quickly darkened again as they took in my appearance. I smiled at him, relief flooding through me as Michael stepped in behind him, his gun trained on Mark.

“Look man.” Mark said, his voice wavering. “Look I was only following orders man. I didn’t hurt her.”

Trevor’s ears pricked up as Mark spoke and his eyes narrowed, the fire in them darkening.

“Oh yeah? Is that fuckin’ so.” He drawled and his voice was terrifyingly calm. “Because she looks peachy fuckin’ keen to me.”

“Look man, that’s the knockout drugs.” He said, swallowing. “She’ll be fine, I swear.”

“Oh, it’s just the drugs.” He said in a singsong voice jerking his head toward Michael. “You hear that Mikey. Nothing to fuckin’ worry about, it’s just the _fucking_ drugs.”

His voice cracked on the last two words, that strange calm falling away and being replaced by a seething rage. I felt Mark’s hand start to tremble and swallowed. The last thing I needed was for him to slip and pull the trigger.

“It’s true, Trevor. He didn’t touch me.” I said, my voice still weak. Trevor’s eyes fell on mine, but this time the rage didn’t go anywhere. “I promise. He put a bullet in the guy that did.”

“Well, isn’t that fuckin’ chivalrous of him sweetcheeks.” He said, his voice dripping with false sincerity. “Ain’t he a _fuckin’ gentleman_.” He hissed that last word and I flinched, more scared by that tone than by the gun poking into my back. He dropped his gun to his side and leaned against the door frame. “So. Mr Fuckin’ Gentleman. You want me to let you go, huh? You think you deserve that?”

Mark shoved the gun harder into my back and I gasped, looking at Michael. He met my gaze and gave an almost imperceptible nod. Trevor was getting to the point of no return. I could hear it in his voice. He’d soon be so blinded by rage that he wouldn’t be able to think about the consequences of his actions and, sure, Mark would die, but at least one of us would likely go down with him.

“Cool it T. The guy didn’t hurt her, he’s probably just some hired gun. Let him go.” Said Michael. Trevor’s eyes slid off Mark and over to Michael.

“Oh really.” Said Trevor, looking between us, his voice suddenly calm again. He met my eyes, but there was no emotion there, everything carefully shuttered away. I shivered. “That what you’re sayin’ too?” he asked me, tongue darting between his teeth and his lips as his eyes flicked over mine. “You think that because he didn’t _hurt_ you, I should let this prick live, huh?”

I stared at him but nodded and he looked at the floor smiling, and shaking his head, breathing heavily. He giggled suddenly, a strange high-pitched noise and looked back up at me.

“Fine, cupcake. If that’s what you want.” He said, just the edge of strain creeping into his voice as he looked over at Mark, madness dancing in his eyes. “Get the fuck out of here.” He said, dropping his gun to his side and grinning, leaning back against the door frame.

Mark looked between Trevor and Michael. Michael lowered his weapon. Not dropping it completely, but no longer pointing it at him.

“One wrong fucking move, you piece of shit and I will end you.” He said. I hadn’t noticed it before, but as he spoke, I saw that Michaels crystal blue eyes were glittering with anger.

The pressure from my back slowly released as Mark stepped away from me. I kept very still as he edged past me, pointing his gun at Trevor. Trevor watched him too, a predatory look in his eyes as he grinned and opened his arms, gesturing for him to pass. Mark quickly looked back at me. That was his mistake.

Trevor pounced on him, knocking the gun out of his hand, and shoving him against the wall. I jumped as Trevor’s hand wrapped around Mark’s throat, drawing one fist back and driving it into his face. Mark let out a wail as he his nose collapsed under the force of the punch and he started to desperately claw at the hand around his throat.

“Y-you,” wheezed Mark. “You said-“ Trevor cackled cutting him off.

“I said I wouldn’t kill you for _hurting her_ , cowboy.” His fingers tightened around the man’s neck, the tendons in his arms straining from the effort. His voice nothing more than a growl. “But I will fucking _tear you apart_ for trying to get into her fucking pants.” He punched him again. “You think I wouldn't recognise your voice you fuckin' creep? Who the fuck do you think you are, huh? Who the fuck do you think you are?”

Blood ran down from Mark’s ruined nose over Trevor’s fingers as they squeezed at his neck. He let out a wild roar and threw him across the room. He jumped on him, pummelling his fists into his face as Michael crossed the room toward me.

“Come on, kid, let’s get the fuck out of here.” He pulled me toward him, and the movement made nausea rise in my throat and I gagged. I put my hand up to my mouth and closed my eyes, fighting the urge to throw up. When I opened them again Michael’s eyes were trained on mine. I nodded and he slipped his arm around my waist and half carried me toward the door.

“Trevor?” I whispered as we reached the door. He was hunched over Mark but looked up at his name, turning round to focus on me. I caught a glimpse of the bloody mess that was Mark’s face and swallowed. His eyes moved over mine, taking in my pale face and the way I was clinging to Michael. He growled and suddenly stood up. Without breaking eye contact with me he pulled his gun from his pants and discharged a round into Mark’s head. I jumped and he turned and spat on the corpse, before crossing the room to me.

He breathed heavily as he stood in front of me, his eyes darting over my features. Michael let go of my waist and stepped back, giving us some room and Trevor pulled me into a tight hug. I flinched as I felt the cold, tacky blood that he was covered in press against me, and as he pulled away to cup my face in his hands, and all I could smell was copper. He didn’t say anything, just stared into my eyes, the slickness of the blood on his hands making me cringe as he brushed a thumb over my cheek.

“Come on T, let’s get the fuck out of here” said Michael, and Trevor nodded. He picked me up like I weighed nothing, and I squirmed in protest. I’d been drugged, kidnapped, and beaten, but I could walk out of this fucking place on my own. He looked down at me and the rage in his eyes was tinged with desperation.

“Just fucking let me Ellie, please.” He whispered, that quiet desperation tugging at my heart, and I submitted, wrapping my arms round his neck as he carried me through the basement. Trevor carried me out past slumped corpses and into the sudden brightness of the day. I squinted, the light a fun reminder that my head was still pounding.

Frank was waiting at the steps to the building in a white car and Michael immediately hopped into the front. Trevor opened the back door, gently placing me into the seat, before going round to the other side and slipping in beside me. He slid into the middle, pressing right up against me, as close as he could get.

“Shit, girl. You look like death.” Said Franklin from the driver’s seat. I shuffled over so I could see my reflection in the mirror, and he wasn’t wrong. My skin was almost grey, and I had dark bags under my eyes. My hair was matted with sweat and blood. I closed my eyes. “Hey. You okay? You need anything?” he asked.

“Maybe some aspirin?” I said, opening my eyes and grinning at him weakly. He laughed and looked to Trevor who hadn’t said anything since getting in the car.

“Where to, T?” he asked. Trevor looked at me and then back at Frank.

“Drop us at Vespucci beach.” He said and turned to look out of the window. I caught Franks’ eyes in the mirror, and he shrugged.

It didn’t take us long to get there. Trevor got out quickly, jogging round to Michael’s window and saying something quietly before coming round to my side to help me up into the house.

The apartment door had barely closed behind us when Trevor turned to me, his eyes still wild.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, and I shrugged. The pain in my head was still there, but it had receded to a dull ache.

“Been better.” I said, offering him a small smile. He didn’t return in, just ground his teeth, and looked down.

“Take a shower. We’re leaving.” He said quietly.

“Leaving? Where are we going?” I asked and he shook his head.

“Can you fucking just-“ He growled before covering his face in his hands and continuing. “Please don’t ask me any fucking questions for once. Just do what I’m fucking telling you to. Please.”

My eyes widened. I’d never really seen him like this before. Rage I was used to, but this… It was fear and a desperate frustration and I didn’t know how to react to it. I was tired and my head hurt and as grateful as I was for the rescue party I wasn’t equipped to deal with this new onslaught of emotion.

I turned away from him. It only took me a few minutes to grab some clothes from the room and climb into the shower. The hot water was bliss on my skin, and I scrubbed away the blood that had dried into tacky patches on my skin. Once I was clean, I turned off the shower and got dressed into plain shorts and strap top, just loosely towel drying my hair. He was waiting outside and as I walked out, he stalked past me into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

I had just walked into the bedroom, pulling out my bag when I heard it. A low noise coming from the bathroom. I crept up to the door and realised what it was, pushing the door open. Over the sound of the running water, I could hear the low hum of Trevor’s voice. I pulled back the shower curtain to find him sitting in the bath, the steaming hot water raining down on him as he clutched his knees to his chest, rocking back and forward. Most of the blood had washed off him and the water that swirled down the drain was only just tinged orange.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered through sobs. “I’m sorry.”

The love and the sadness that I felt for him that moment was indescribable. My heart felt like it was about to explode. He didn’t look at me as I climbed in, fully clothed, kneeling behind him and wrapping my arms around his naked chest. I didn’t say anything, just hugged him to me tightly as he rocked. We sat like that until his sobs came to a shuddering halt and he lifted his hands up, holding onto my arms.

“I thought you were dead.” He said, his voice low and broken. “I thought that –“ he stopped, his voice cracking as he shook. I gripped him to me tighter.

“I’m fine baby,” I said, my voice muffling as I kissed the back of his head. I tugged him up gently, helping him stand. He turned to me, and the raw, aching pain in his eyes made my breath catch in my throat. I cupped his face in my hands. “This wasn’t your fault."

“No.” He shook his head, tears spilling down his cheeks. “You’re not. I should have protected you. I should have-“ I cut him off with a gentle kiss.

“Trevor, you saved my life.” I said, hugging him to me. His arms snaked around my back and he clung to me so tightly that I knew I would bruise where his fingers were digging into my skin. I gently pulled his hands away and climbed out the shower, grabbing the towel and holding it out to him. He followed me, wrapping the towel around his waist as I pulled him into the bedroom. My top was drenched, but my shorts had managed to escape relatively dry. I took out a black t shirt from my bag and pulled it over my head as Trevor sat down on the bed, watching me. I climbed into his lap, brushing his cheek gently as he stared down at me, his dark eyes still full of sadness. I gave him a little smile.

“Please don’t be sad, T.” I said and he shook his head. “Remember what we talked about? We make our own decisions. You can’t be responsible for me when we’re out on jobs. We agreed, remember?”

“I only fuckin’ agreed because you made me.” He huffed, his eyes still watery, and I smiled.

“I can’t make you do shit, Trevor.” I said and he gave me a little smile.

“Yeah, Ellie. You can.” He said quietly. I swallowed. His hand ran up my cheek, cupping my face in his hand and kissing me. It was a brief, chaste kiss. Like he was scared that anything harder would hurt me. “Let’s get out of here. I don’t want to be in the city anymore.”

I nodded, and it only took me a few minutes to finish shoving my stuff into my bag as he pulled on some clothes. When I was done, he flung my duffle bag over his shoulder and grabbed my hand, leading me out of the apartment and down the stairs. He chucked the bag into the back and then pushed me gently into the truck. He climbed in beside me and pulled me along the seat so that I was sat flush against him, his fingers clasped between mine and resting on my thigh.

He reversed out of the parking bay and flicked on the radio as we started the long drive back to Blaine County. I snuggled into him, breathing in his scent and he shifted slightly so that his arm was slung over my shoulder and I could lean into him.

“I love you.” I whispered and his arm tightened around me as my eyelids started to get heavy and I yawned. I was just about to succumb to sleep when I heard his voice over the low rumble of the engine.

“I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back together again! 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading - as always it means the worrrrrld <3 xxx


	14. Reunion

I woke up nuzzled into Trevor’s chest, his strong arms tensing as he carried me up a flight of stairs. I blinked the sleep out of my eyes and looked around, realising with a jolt that we were in the house in Paleto Bay. I raised my head to look up at him and he smiled down at me. I looped my arms around his neck, pulling him down to me. I kissed him gently, my lips bumping against his as he carried me, our surroundings almost as familiar to me as his mouth against mine.

He reached the top of the landing and kicked open the door to our bedroom, dropping my bag on the floor and laying me down on the bed. He climbed on top of me and I sighed happily as he trailed little kisses from my mouth to my neck, nipping at my skin. I tried to move my hands into his thinning hair, but he stopped me, holding my arms down as he bit down harder.

“T?” I whispered, my voice already a bit breathy. He sighed, rocking his hips into me, pulling back so that he could see my face. His gaze was dark and full of lust, but there was something else there too. Something primal.

“I need…” he trailed off, his voice a low, aching, rumble. I stared into his eyes and he bit his lip, adjusting his position so that he could hold my wrists above my head with one hand, while the other traced the line of my jaw. Sweat was already starting to bead on his forehead, and I could feel his erection pressing into my thigh.

“What do you need, baby?” I asked, and he shuddered, grabbing my t-shirt, and ripping the fabric down the middle. He pulled it off me and I was suddenly topless beneath him. I gasped and he moaned a little at the noise.

“I need to make you mine.” He growled, and my nipples tightened as I shivered against him.

“I am yours, Trevor.” I whispered and he dropped his head against my shoulder and groaned.

“Fuck.” He said into my hair. His hand tightened around my wrists and it hurt, the flesh still tender from the zip ties. “I need to…” His voice trailed off as he dragged his head back up to stare at me again, and suddenly I got it. That primal need. He was asking my permission to take control.

I could have asked why, but I already knew. Someone had taken me away from him and he’d thought I’d died, and now some part of him needed to claim me again.

I bit my lip, lust dragging through me and nodded. He growled, his lips crashing down into mine, leaning into me and pinning me to the bed. His tongue danced with mine, hand tightening around my wrists as I kissed him back. He let go of me suddenly, his hands dropping to my waist and pulling off the last of my clothes until I lay naked beneath him. He stared at me through hooded eyes, his gazing roaming from my lips, across my breasts and then finally resting between my legs.

My heart pounded hard against my rib cage as he picked up my shredded t-shirt, turning over the fabric in his hands. He looked up at me and for a moment his gaze was tender, his eyes sparkling, and I knew he was replaying the memory of our first night together. I gave him a little smile and his hands tightened around the material tearing it in half like he’d done for me all those years ago. He grabbed my hips, his rough hands digging into my skin as he pushed me up the bed. He took one of the scraps and tied it around my wrist, securing it to the bed, before doing the same with my other arm.

I was about to give the bindings an experimental tug when he was suddenly on me, his mouth crashing into mine. His lips mashed against me so hard that I tasted blood and he ran his hands down my chest, cupping my breasts. I bucked against him, trying to catch my breath, as he tweaked both my nipples at once.

“Fuck.” I whispered into his mouth before I could stop myself, and he shuddered, raising his head to look at me.

“What?” he said, his voice low.

I shook my head and he growled at me, pulling his clothes off, and chucking them on the floor. I stared at him and my heart flipped in my chest, my pupils dilating as my eyes travelled down his scarred, tattooed body. He leant back over me, his erection poking into my thigh as he pinched my nipples again, sending a shock of electricity straight to my core. I squeaked and he moved one of his hands from my breasts to cup my cheek.

“Fuckin’ talk to me, Ellie. Tell me how it feels.” He said, his voice rumbling with desire. He took one nipple between his forefinger and thumb, pinching to punctuate each word. “Tell me. How I. Make. You. Feel.”

He let go of me but before I had time to breathe, he’d captured me again in his hot, wet mouth.

“Now.” He growled, rolling my nipple between his teeth and I bit my lip, writhing at the sensation trying to remember how to talk.

“Like-” I breathed, struggling to form more than one-word answers.

“Like what?” he asked, his other hand running down to my hips as he ran a single finger just above my pubic bone. I squirmed against him.

“Like _lightning_.” I gasped. He looked up at me, the love in his eyes so intense that for a second I couldn’t breathe. He released my nipple with a wet pop and trailed warm, feather-light kisses down my sternum and over my belly until he reached my pubic bone.

He hovered there for a second, his amber eyes boring into mine before plunging his face between my legs and inhaling. I squirmed, trying to snap my legs shut as my cheeks burned with embarrassment.

“Stay still.” He growled and I whimpered as he pushed my legs apart, presenting my glistening folds to him and he groaned. His fingers dug into my thighs painfully as he lowered his head, his warm breath falling over me. I was so turned on that I was almost delirious, and it took everything I had to stop myself from grinding into his face. He looked at me and laughed, reading the determination in my face.

He stayed there for a moment and I’d almost gotten myself back under control when he pushed his tongue into me, running it up my slit and fastening his mouth over my clit. I gasped and my hips bucked into him of their own accord. His fingers dug into my thighs harder, warning me not to move, and I squeaked as he lazily swirled his tongue in small circles around the sensitive bundle of nerves.

I tried to stay still. I really did. But the longer it went on the harder it was to control myself. Every time I moved, he would increase the pressure against my thighs until I couldn’t tell what was pleasure and what was pain, and I was aching for him.

“Please, Trevor.” I gasped and he spoke with his mouth still pressed against me, the vibrations from his lips making me shiver.

“What do you want?” he asked, flicking his tongue up and down and I inhaled sharply at the sensation, my eyebrows furrowing. 

“Fuck me.” I breathed, unable to control myself as I rocked my hips into his face. “Please.”

He raised his head up and I looked down at him through slitted eyes. A lazy grin spread over his lips and he shook his head.

“Not yet.” He said, dropping his face back down between my legs, and resuming his enthusiastic licking. I let out a groan of frustration that quickly turned into a moan of pleasure as he let go of one of my thighs, and slowly slipped a single finger into me. My flesh was hot and desperate, and the sensation caused me to arch into him, straining against the fabric around my wrists that held me in place.

He slid his finger in and out of me a couple of times, drawing desperate gasps from my throat, before slipping in a second digit and increasing the pace. It wasn’t exactly what I needed. What I needed was his dick buried deep inside me, but it was close enough and I felt myself start to tip toward the edge. I closed my eyes, my head falling back as I started to thrust my hips towards him, trying to match his pace.

“Open your eyes.” He said, replacing his tongue with his hand, moving in tight, firm circles. It was a struggle, but I did what he asked, my eyebrows drawn tightly together, sensation threatening to overtake me as I looked at him. He stared back at me with an intense ferocity, the lower half of his face glistening, and the visual was so hot that I almost came.

“Fuck.” I gasped, my fingers gripping around the fabric that held me down, straining for him.

“Who do you belong to?” he growled, and I could barely breath, let alone speak. His fingers curled as he frantically rubbed against that sensitive spot deep inside me. I bit my lip, my head falling back into the pillow, letting out a low moan as that wave of pleasure started to peak.

“I’m gonna-“ I started, but he growled at me, shoving his face into my thigh, and biting down painfully hard. The sensation brought me back from the edge with a yelp.

“Don’t you _fuckin’ dare_.” He hissed and I whimpered as he started to move his fingers faster, penetrating me quicker and deeper. I cried out as he slipped in a third digit, the feeling almost overwhelming, bringing me right back to the brink again.

“Please.” I breathed, my voice ragged, but he shook his head, his eyes wild.

“Not until you tell me who you belong to.” He said, his voice desperate. “Fucking _tell me_ , baby.”

“You.” I moaned, my voice almost a wail. “Trevor, _you_.”

He swore and removed his hands, quickly hauling himself up my body. He guided himself into my slick, wetness in one thrust, gasping as he did. My breath caught in my throat at the feeling of him filling me. He pumped himself into me and I arched my back towards him, trying to reach for him and growling in frustration at my bindings.

He ripped my hands free, tearing the fabric that bound me and I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him as close to me as I could, his sweaty chest pressed tightly to mine.

That burning, electric pressure was building with every stroke and I gasped as he hooked a hand under my thigh, lifting it over his shoulder, without breaking the pace. The angle changed and suddenly with every powerful thrust he was slamming against that spot deep inside me, and I cried out.

“Say my name.” He breathed in my ear. “Say my _fucking name_.”

“ _Trevor_.” I gasped. And then I exploded around him, my walls clenching, my toes curling, the orgasm crashing through me in relentless, electric waves. I could hear a high-pitched mewling noise and it took me a second to realise it was me as I bucked into him, my fingers clawing down his back. He came moments later, his teeth clamping down on my neck, the sharp, grating pain joining the ebbing pleasure and setting it off again. I gasped for breath as the second wave rolled through me, almost as intense as the first, as he spilled inside me, pumping into me again and again, my muscles milking him until my orgasm final waned and my body started to relax beneath him.

Trevor’s arms wrapped around me pulling me flush against his shaking body, and I felt the exhaustion that I’d been battling all day start to catch up with me. I was a trembling, sweaty mess and it was all I could do to hug him back as his strong arms constricted around me, his breath falling over me as he whispered that he loved me again and again. His hand cupped my chin, tilting my head up and I blinked at him as he captured my lips in a gentle a kiss. When he broke away, I smiled sleepily, but before I could even think of anything to say the tiredness overtook me and I fell asleep curled up in his embrace.

I woke up in pretty much exactly the same position. I was pulled flush against Trevor, his naked body wrapped around mine, heat rolling off him in waves. I yawned and gently untangled myself from his limbs. I stood up and stretched, grinning at the delicious burning sensation in my thigh muscles. I picked up Trevor’s shirt and slipped it on, noticing a dull ache in my neck as I raised my arms. I walked over to the mirror and tilted my head, my eyes widening at the toothmarks imprinted into my flesh. I ran my fingers over it and let out a little hiss. Fuck, that was painful. Hot. But painful.

I looked around the room and walked over to the window that overlooked the beach, pushing it open. The cool ocean breeze blew in through the window, rustling my hair and I breathed in the salty air. The pale morning sunlight glinted off the still water and a sense of peace that I hadn’t felt in a long time descend on me. I leaned my head against the window frame, watching as a gull landed in the surf, pecking at something in the sand beneath its feet. I smiled. I hadn’t been here in five years, but this view hadn’t changed. It was almost like I’d never left. There was a grunt from the bed, and I looked over at Trevor. 

He’d rolled onto his back, one arm flung over his face protecting himself from the sunlight that filtered in through the open window, his bicep bulging against the black ink of his Michael memorial tattoo. He mumbled something in his sleep, and I felt a sudden, overwhelming rush of love.

If you’d told me that this would be how this trip ended, I would have laughed in your face. But now I realised that it couldn’t have ended any other way. We were like magnets. There was no way we could have been this close and not been drawn back to each other. It was inevitable. 

I snuck out of the room, enjoying the feel of the soft carpet between my bare toes, as I padded to the bathroom. I showered as quietly as I could, the steaming hot water washing away the drama of the previous day, and then wrapped myself in a towel and crept down the stairs.

The last time I’d been in this house was the day that Trevor destroyed it, so the general ambience was better than I remembered, but overall, it was like stepping back in time. It wasn’t until I wandered into the kitchen that I realised that it felt like nothing had changed because literally nothing had changed. The layout, the fixtures, hell even the decor was just how I remembered it, and I suddenly realised that Trevor must have rented it out, not sold it. I opened a cabinet and was relieved to see that at the very least he’d let people put their stuff in them. I shook my head. Well, at least that explained how he’d gotten the house back so quickly.

I dug around in the cupboard until I found some coffee and switched on the old coffee maker, my eyes falling onto my wrists as I did so. I grimaced as I realised how badly bruised they were. An almost black line traced where the zip ties had bit into my flesh for almost two day and it was peppered with purplish fingerprints. I leant against the counter and rubbed my wrist subconsciously as the coffee brewed. When it was done, I grabbed two mugs and filled them before making my way back upstairs to the bedroom.

Trevor hadn’t moved since I left, his arm still thrown over his face, protecting him from the sun. I placed his coffee on the table next to the bed and sat down next to him on the edge of the bed. I took a sip of mine then blew over the top of my mug, sending the rich, caffeinated scent towards his face. He yawned and blinked up at me, his amber eyes locking onto mine. He looked momentarily surprised as he realised where were, but then smiled in a way that made my heart flip.

“Well, ain’t this the best fuckin’ thing to wake up to.” He said, his voice a little croaky with sleep as he reached out and ran a hand over my bare leg.

“The coffee?” I asked, and he narrowed his eyes, plucking the mug out of my hand and placing it on the side, pulling me in for a kiss. After a few moments he groaned and broke away.

“Good _Lord_ , cupcake, you have no idea how perfect you taste.” He said covering his face with his hands, his tattooed knuckles flexing as he rubbed his eyes. “How the fuck did I manage to get back here, huh. Who gets this fuckin’ lucky twice?”

“Well, I can count at least two of us.” I said, grabbing his hands, interlocking his fingers with mine. He stared at me and I smiled. “Hey. Can we go to the beach later?”

He looked at me, slightly dazed, but nodded.

“Sure we can.” He said, his eyes darting between mine as his fingers tightened. “We can do whatever the fuck you want, sugartits.”

I smiled at him, leaning over to grab my coffee, and taking a sip, enjoying the feel of the warm liquid slipping down my throat. I adjusted myself on the bed, so I was sitting cross-legged, my knee pressing into Trevor’s toned stomach through the duvet. He shivered, wrapping his arms around me, and pulling me closer so that he could rest his chin on my leg. He glanced to the side, his gaze falling on the open window and his eyes narrowed.

“For fucks’ sake.” He said, irritation creeping into his voice. “I forgot that you did that.”

I grinned at him. Trevor thrived in the heat whereas I could barely function in it. Open windows had been a continuous source of conflict when we’d lived together.

“It’s hot.” I said and he rolled his eyes.

“It’s fucking not.” He grumbled, but his eyes were dancing. I stuck my tongue out at him and leaned down giving him a quick kiss.

“So, did you hear anything from Lester about what the happened with the score?” I asked, my brain kicking into work mode as I clutched the warm mug to my chest. He shivered dramatically but sat up, the blankets pooling around his toned stomach.

“He’s looking into it. Told us to call him when you were up to it.” He said and I nodded.

“It’s just none of it makes any sense to me.” I said, thinking out loud.

“Sugar, come on.” He said, leaning back his palms outstretched. “What’s to make sense of here? They found out you were staying in Vespucci, tailed you to the docks and grabbed you. Nobody stopped us from getting the crate. They had no fuckin’ idea what you were doin’ there.” He said and I frowned.

“But that still doesn’t fit, T.” I said, feeling a little uneasy. “They knew about you. How the fuck could they know about you if it wasn’t planned?”

He grinned at that and leaned over, gently brushing his fingers over the bitemark on my neck.

“I mean, really?” he asked, and I blushed. He had me there.

“Can we call Lester?” I said. “I need to find out what he got from the crate.”

He nodded and rolled over, reaching for his sweatpants. The movement dragged the blanket over the curve of his ass, and I swallowed.

“Checkin’ me out, cupcake?” He asked, not looking back as he grabbed his phone from the pocket of his sweats. He turned around and his dark eyes were dancing with wicked amusement. I met his gaze and grinned.

“Yep. Got a problem with that?” I asked.

“Mmm.” He said, looking at me and licking his lips. “No problem here, sugar. You can look. Touch. Do whatever the fuck you want to me, as long as you keep tellin’ me you’re mine.”

I blushed again and he grinned, kissing me quickly.

“Now let’s call this creep and find out what the fuck he has to say.” He said, leaning against the headboard and tapping Lester’s number into his phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this was gonna be the penultimate chapter, but it was like 7000 words so I've split it into two!
> 
> SO THAT MEANS ONLY TWO CHAPTERS LEFT! I just need to edit part two of this chapter and I have most of the final chapter planned out... so reaching the endgame!
> 
> Thank you so so much to anyone that's read this far - I've really enjoyed writing this story and your comments have meant the world. Hope that you like this chapter and the rest of Trevor and Ellie's story! <3 much loooove x


	15. Trevor Philips

Trevor sat leaning against the headboard with his phone in his hand, his eyes fixed on mine as it rang.

“Trevor.” Lester’s voice was tinny over the loudspeaker as he picked up the call.

“Lester.” Trevor replied, biting out the word like it was something unpleasant.

“I take it this call means that everything went smoothly with the… retrieval?” he asked, and Trevor grinned at me.

“I think you can assume that, yeah. The retrieved is sat next to me as we speak.” He replied and I raised my eyebrows at him.

“Hey Les.” I said and Lester chuckled.

“Ellie. I’m glad you’re okay.” He said and I smiled.

“Thanks, me to. What have you got for me?” I asked and there was a heartbeat of silence over the phone.

“Well, the good news is that I sent your package to our friends in Liberty City. They’ve received it and you can expect to find a healthy thank you deposited into your bank account in the next few days.” He said and I frowned.

“Okay. And the bad news?” I asked, taking a sip of my coffee, and placing it on the table.

“The info was a bust. There was detail that _maybe_ wasn’t already public, but nothing definitive. No names, no locations. Nothing that could tie anyone to the case.”

“What?” I whispered, my heart sinking in my chest like a stone. That wasn’t possible. That wasn’t fucking possible. I’d tracked that fucking shipment for months. “I had one hundred percent confirmation on the contents of that crate, Lester.”

“What can I tell you. Intel’s never a hundred percent.” He said, and I swore, lowering my head into my hands, my limbs heavy with disappointment. Trevor dropped the phone and pulled me toward him, kissing me gently on the top of my head. That was the best lead about Kyle that I’d had in years and it was gone. Just like that. I felt my eyes begin to water but I bit my lip, forcing them back. Crying wasn’t going to change anything, and there was a bigger issue at hand.

“What about the Azteca’s? Did they know it was us that took their shit?” I said, giving Trevor a squeeze and sitting back up.

“No, I thought that too, but they’re all quiet. It would seem that they think it went missing at the port of origin.” He said and I shook my head, that sense of unease that I’d felt earlier deepening.

“This doesn’t make any fucking sense. I was at the exact warehouse as a shipment they were expecting but they didn’t connect the two. I know that it was a day early but come on. And why didn’t they just fucking kill me then and there? The Azteca’s don’t exactly have a reason to keep me alive.” I said and Trevor huffed in anger, clearly not happy with the concept of someone wanting me dead. I shrugged at him apologetically. “And they knew that other people were involved. They knew about Trevor. Tell me that’s not fucking weird.” I said .

“I agree.” Said Lester, throwing me off guard.

“You do.” I asked, doubtfully. Trevor had been so dismissive of my theory that I hadn’t expected Lester to be on the same page.

“I do. That’s why you and Trevor are going to stay out in Blaine County and lay low while I try and figure out what the hell happened here. You said the guy that captured you mentioned Trevor, right? So, who knows, maybe this was never even about you.” He said.

“What the fuck are you saying?” Trevor asked, his muscles tensing as he spoke.

“It’s just conjecture.” Lester said, backtracking quickly at the anger in Trevor’s voice. “All I’m saying is that you two need to stay out of Los Santos until I know more.”

“Okay.” I replied.

“I’ll be in touch.” He said. I could tell he was about to hang up and I quickly interjected.

“Hey wait, Les. The money from the score? Split mine between the rest of the crew.” I said. Trevor let out a surprised grunt. I turned to him, shoving my hand over his mouth, and shooting him a warning glare to stay quiet.

“Interesting. Can I ask why?” said Lester.

“Yeah. My take should have always been the information, and you guys risked a lot to save me.” I said. “But do me a favour and keep me in mind for any future work, okay?”

He was quiet for a second before letting out a nasally chuckle.

“So, I take it you’ve extended your travel plans then?” He asked and I smiled at Trevor who watched me intently, my hand still pressed against his lips.

“Yeah.” I replied, taking my hand off him. “Indefinitely.”

Trevor’s lips curved upwards and his hands snaked back around my waist.

“Okay then. I’ll keep you in mind.” He said.

“Thanks, Les.” I replied.

“Don’t mention it.” He said. “And if you ever need the number for a therapist to treat that Stockholm syndrome-“

Trevor grunted and hung up on him.

“Fucking prick.” He growled and I laughed, leaning back, and kissing him. “And what the hell are you sayin’ about the take, huh? You earned that money, just fucking take it.”

“Anything I earned on that job I owe to you, Franklin, Michael and Lester for rescuing me.” I said and he shook his head.

“You don’t owe me shit.” He said and I shrugged.

“Well, whatever you think it’s my decision and it’s done, okay?” I said and he grumbled but nodded, pulling me back into him for a deep kiss.

We spent most of the rest of day in bed, with all the fun things that involved. It wasn’t until late afternoon that I remembered that I wanted to go to the beach and I reluctantly dragged myself away from him. He made an unhappy noise and tried to pull me back, but I stopped him with a laugh.

“Beach?” I asked and he rolled onto his side, the late afternoon sunlight throwing shadows across him as he stared at me, his amber eyes twinkling. He raised his hand and brushed my hair back behind my ear, making a noise in his throat as he did so.

“God you’re fuckin’ beautiful.” He said and I grinned.

“Thanks, but that doesn’t answer my question.” I said, he groaned loudly, letting go of me and falling back into the pillows.

“Unnnnnghh -do you not fuckin’ listen when I talk? Huh? I said we can do whatever the fuck you want.” He said, grabbing my hair kissing me roughly before releasing me just enough to whisper into my mouth. “You wanna go to fuckin’ beach we’ll go to the fuckin’ beach.”

He let me go suddenly, and I lay there a little dazed and a little horny, as he rolled out of bed and pulled on his sweats. He turned around and caught me staring.

“What?” he asked, and I bit my lip.

“Nothing… Just maybe we don’t _have_ to go to the beach. Maybe you should come back to bed instead” I said with a hopeful smile and he grinned.

“My girl wants to go to the beach, we’re goin to the fuckin’ beach. Now hurry the fuck up, sugartits.” He said, rifling through the cupboards and pulling on a white wife beater and a denim jacket.

“Did the guy you got the house from not want any of his stuff?” I asked and Trevor grinned at me guiltily.

“You know what, sugar? I didn’t think to ask.” He said innocently, bending down and chucking my bag over to me as he walked out of the room. “Now get dressed, you’re burnin’ daylight.”

I rolled my eyes at the empty space where he’d been standing and pulled out some clean underwear and a lemon-yellow sundress from my bag. I put them on and stood up, wandering over to the cupboard and searching through it until I found a soft pale blue shirt. I pulled it on, letting it hang open, and brushed my hair back into a half ponytail. Finally, I checked myself out in the mirror. My lips were pink and swollen from kissing, and although I had managed to tame my hair, it was still clear that I’d spent most of the day in bed. I pondered doing something about it for a second before thinking _fuck it_. Trevor’s opinion was the only one that I cared about, and if he wasn’t already aware that I’d spent the better part of twenty-four hours having sex, I had bigger things to worry about.

I padded down the stairs to see find that he’d slid the patio door open and was leaning against it. He had his back to me as he looked out toward the sea, playing with something in his hands. He turned as I walked toward him, slipping his hand into his jacket pocket, and holding the other one out to me. I took it and he locked his fingers through mine, pulling me through the door and down the old stairs to the beach.

The sense of DeJa’Vu that I experienced walking along the beach, the cool ocean breeze rustling my hair and Trevor’s arm slung over my shoulder pulling me into his warmth, made my breath catch in my throat. We walked in silence as we traced the path that we’d walked a hundred times before, the sounds of the waves and the gulls the only noises as we headed down the beach to Paleto Point. When we reached the place where the beach met the peninsula, Trevor helped me clamber over the rocks and we walked out as far as we could before we dropped down into the sand. I looked at him and smiled. My cheeks were pink from the salt and the wind and he lifted his arm so that I could scoot under it, nuzzling into his warmth.

He glanced down at me, his eyes darting between mine and the horizon before turning away and looking out to sea.

“You okay, T?” I asked tilting my head and he nodded but wouldn’t look at me.

“I, uh –“ he paused, rubbing the back of his head. “Fuck.”

“What?” I asked, suddenly feeling a bit nervous.

“Look, I, uh. I need to tell you some stuff, okay?” He said and I swallowed.

“What kind of stuff?” I asked.

“Bad stuff.” He said quietly, his eyes finally settling on mine. “I’ve done some _reeaaally_ bad shit while you were in Liberty City.”

I looked away. To be honest, ‘reeaaally bad shit’ wouldn’t sound great coming from anyone but coming from Trevor it was downright terrifying. It could literally mean anything. I was quiet for a moment, chewing on my lip as I thought.

“It doesn’t matter.” I said, finally, and he scowled.

“You can’t say that Ellie, you don’t know what the fuck I’m gonna tell you.” He grunted and I looked out toward the sea.

“Does any of it change the way you feel about me right now?” I asked, watching as a jet ski left a trail of white foam in its wake as it rode through distant waves. “Does any of it change how you feel about us?”

I didn’t look at him, but I could feel him stiffen beside me.

“What kind of stupid fuckin’ question is that, huh? Of course, it doesn’t.” He replied, angrily.

“Then it doesn’t matter, Trevor. I’m pretty sure that I’ve seen you at your worst already, but even if I haven’t, it doesn’t matter. I know who you are, and I love you. All of you. I don’t know what it says about me, knowing some of the shit you’ve done, but it doesn’t matter. I’ve already done five years without you and I’m not fucking planning on doing another one ever again. For better or worse, T, you’re my person.” I said, turning to him. His dark eyes were watching me intently. “ All I need from you is that you love me back. We can figure everything else out together.”

“And what about this life, huh?” he asked, and I frowned. “You happy with this life? The jobs. The drugs. The death?”

I nudged him and smiled.

“Give me a second I’ve only been back in San Andreas for a week.” I said with a grin, but he didn’t smile back. That cemented it. He was being weird. I got up and kissed him lightly on the lips. “I haven’t stopped living ‘this life’, T. I’ve just been doing it somewhere else.”

“So, you’re happy with this life? My life?” he asked, and I sighed and leaned away from him.

“I’m happy with whatever kind of life I get as long as it includes you. Hell, I’d even move back to Sandy Shores if that’s what you needed. As long as you bought me a fan for the trailer.” I said and he just looked at me. “What’s wrong?”

“What about if you didn’t have to do it?” Trevor asked, ignoring me.

“Do what?” I asked.

“All of it. If we could live different?” He replied and I blew out my cheeks.

“Jesus, Trevor, I don’t fucking know. Give me a million dollars and I’ll tell you.” I said.

“I could.” He replied, quietly and I looked at him.

“What?” I said and he shrugged.

“I could give you a million dollars.” He said. I grinned at him, not sure what the punchline was. He looked back at me, his dark eyes not moving from mine. “I’m not fuckin’ joking, Ellie.”

I stared at him, my mouth falling open as I realised that he was being serious.

“How did you get a million dollars?” I breathed.

“I didn’t get a million dollars, cupcake, I got forty.” He said and I gasped.

“Trevor. What the fuck?” I asked and he shrugged.

“Union Depository.” He said and those two words floored me.

"Bullshit.” I said, before I could think about it. His eyes darkened and he made an angry, rumbling noise in his chest.

“You callin’ me a _fuckin’_ liar?” He said, and I bit my lip, shaking my head.

“Fuck.” I breathed. “No. I’m not, I just… That’s big, T. That’s crazy.”

I thought for a second and then realisation dawned.

“No wonder you fucking out bid me on that stupid cartoon, you little shit.” I said and he grinned. “God I should have offered Lester more.”

He laughed at that and I grabbed his hand in mine, twisting my fingers through his before looking up at him. I felt like my heart was going to burst.

“I always knew you were gonna to do amazing things, Trevor.” I said and smiled at him “I’m so fucking proud of you.” His eyes widened and a faint pink blush sprung up over his cheeks, his fingers tightening around mine.

The sun was starting to set, bathing us in an orange light, I tilted my head out to the sea and my hair glowed like burning embers in the dying sunlight. I shivered a little and he swallowed, shrugging out of his jacket, and passing it to me. I smiled at him and slipped into it. I turned back to say thank you, but he caught me in a quick kiss, pressing his lips against mine.

I smiled, but he just stared at me like a deer caught in headlights.

“Trevor.” I sighed. “Will you please just fucking tell me what’s wrong? I can’t help you if you don’t tell me.”

He swallowed. His leg was twitching, and his tongue was darting between his lips as he watched me.

“Can you pass me my phone, sugar?” he asked, and his voice was a little breathy. I narrowed my eyes at him, shoving my hands into the pockets of his jacket. My right hand closed around something small and cold and I frowned, pulling it out.

I looked down to see a delicate rose gold band with a small circular diamond resting in the centre of my palm. I froze for what felt like an eternity as I stared down at it, my heart pounding in my chest so loud that I was sure he could hear it too.

“What is this?” I asked faintly, looking up at him, and his gaze jumped between my lips and my eyes as I felt my cheeks go pink.

“I got it a few months after you left.” He said, his voice trembling. “It made me feel like I, I dunno, like I still had a chance with you. Or I don’t fuckin’ know, like maybe I would again one day. I would take it out and look at it to give me motivation to keep going when things were shit. Then after Liberty City, I kept it as a reminder to not let anything slip away from me again. Not to let me being a fuckin’ asshole stop me from holding onto something I want.”

He stopped, his face was now a deep red.

“Trevor. What does this mean?” I asked doing my best to keep my voice level as I spoke. He looked at me, nervously, the pulse in his neck jumping.

“You know how I feel about people asking me questions they already know the answer to, Ellie.” He tried to growl it, but he was too nervous, and it came out a little high pitched. I scowled at him.

“No. Not this time Trevor Philips. If you’re doing this, I need to hear you say it.” I replied. “You need to say exactly what you mean.”

He paused for a second, then dipped his head and kissed me. It was warm and gentle and as he did his hand came up and he closed my palm around the ring, bringing it up and holding it against his heart.

“It means that I never want to be without you again. It means that I fuckin’ love you more than anything in this whole world. And it especially means that next time we’re on a job, fuckin’ assholes like Mark will know that your taken. That you belong to me.” He said, growling the last words. “It doesn’t mean you have to fuckin’ marry me, not if you don’t want to. It just means that you want me like I want you, and that you want it forever.”

White noise was ringing in my ears and my heart pulsed angrily in my throat. It was like I’d been shot. I opened my mouth to speak, but he kissed me, cutting me off.

“I don’t want your answer now, Ellie.” He said, cupping my face in his hands. “I need you to think about it.”

“I don’t need to think about it.” I breathed and he shook his head.

“Please.” He said. “Whatever you’re gonna fuckin’ say… I need you to be one hundred percent certain. Because I can’t take you leaving again, I swear I fuckin’ can’t.”

I looked at him, the orange of the sunset making his eyes glow and I nodded. I slipped the ring back into the pocket of his jacket with a shaking hand and beamed at him. He smiled back and it was so nervous and so adorable that I felt like I was going to die. I threw my arms around him, pushing him back into the sand and hugging him to me as tight as I could.

“I fucking love you Trevor.” I said, pulling back a bit so I could look at him. He gently brushed my hair away from my face and the expression in his stare was so intense and full of love that I almost had to look away.

“I love you too, Ellie.” He replied and I smiled. It didn’t matter if I answered his question today, next week or next year. I already knew what my answer was going to be.


	16. The Road to Hell

Trevor pulled me up from the sand and led me home. I didn’t talk much as we walked through the gathering darkness back to the house, my mind still trying to process what he’d asked, but he couldn’t stop. It was like he was possessed. In the twenty-minute walk he told me about The Union Depository, about finding out about Michael and meeting Franklin, he even told me some chaotic story about the FIB and waterboarding some guy in a warehouse. At least I think that’s what he was saying. He was giddy and erratic, and it was hard to follow his train of thought as he jumped from one thing to the next.

It was cold, but the air felt close and electric and I could almost taste an approaching storm on the breeze. He held onto my hand tightly, dragging it into the air as he gesticulated along with his stories, and I kept my other hand in the pocket of his jacket, my heart skipping every time I slipped the ring over my fingertips, biting my lips to keep myself from smiling. He’d asked me to think about it. Asked me to not tell him my answer until I was sure, but it was obvious from the bounce in his step and the grin that kept bursting over his face, that he was pretty confident in my answer.

We’d almost made it home when the storm broke with a crack of thunder overhead and suddenly the heavens opened.

“Shit.” I swore, pulling the jacket over my head. He laughed at me grabbing onto my hips and pulling me toward him, the water soaking through his white t-shirt and plastering it to his chest.

“What’s the matter Ellie? Scared getting a little _wet_?” he asked, his voice an amused rumble, drawing out the last word. For a second I didn’t react, my heart pounding at the feel of his fingers pressing against my skin and the way his t-shirt clung to his chest, showing faint outlines of his tattoos through the wet fabric. I swallowed and looked up at him. His eyes were wide and shining as they darted between mine and in that moment, he looked for all the world like a little kid. His smile faded slightly as he recognised the look in my eyes and his fingers tightened against my skin, his stare darkening with lust. There was a flash of lightning in the sky, illuminating his mouth as it moved toward mine, but before he could reach me, I grabbed his hand and grinned, running toward the house and pulling him behind me.

Running in the sand was hard and I almost fell a couple of times, but I was nowhere near as bad as Trevor, who lumbered behind me, barely able to keep up.

“I would have thought all those years running from the cops in Sandy Shores would have taught you better than this.” I yelled over the sound of the thunder, as the rain hammered around us, and he swore at me.

“The sand there is fuckin’ dry.” He bellowed. “This is _fucking_ bullshit.”

I laughed as I reached the bottom of the stairs and ran up them, bursting through the patio door and pulling him in behind me, leaving puddles of water in our wake. I was in floods of giggles, barely able to breathe and shivering as I peeled off the wet jacket and turned back to face him.

He kissed me suddenly, swallowing my laughter, his arms slipping beneath my thighs as he lifted me up onto the kitchen island. I kissed him back, running my hands through his damp hair, my heart pounding as I tasted the rainwater on his tongue.

I wrapped my legs around his waist as he moved one of his hands up, twisting his fingers into my wet curls and pulling me closer to him as his tongue explored my mouth. There was a flash of light and then thunder crashed through the house rattling the windows, and I jumped in surprise, my teeth bumping into his. He laughed into my mouth, pulling away to grin at me.

“You fuckin’ baby.” He whispered, his eyes crinkling around the edges as he looked at me with a soft smile. I tried to frown, but I couldn’t keep my lips from curving, and he pressed his forehead against mine and let out a long sigh. It was a deep contented sound and for a moment he just stayed like that, rested against me, the only sounds our breathing and the noise of the rain hammering against the decking outside.

The hand that wasn’t tangled in my hair was resting on my thigh, gently rubbing over the faded scar from the desert all those years ago, and the sensation of his calloused thumb against my sensitive skin made me shiver. I dropped my hands to the hem of his shirt and tugged lightly at it. He chuckled and let go of me, putting both hands up, allowing me to pull the wet material over his head and drop it to the floor.

He stood in front of me, his skin damp and his gaze dark, as I ran my eyes over his naked torso and gently placed my hands on his chest. He was cold to the touch and he tensed as I ran my fingertips down, tracing the outline of his ‘Fuck Cops’ tattoo, my heart hammering in my chest. I could already feel the warmth between my legs growing just from touching him and I bit my lip, glancing up. His lips were slightly parted, and his breathing was a little irregular and suddenly his lips crashed back into mine and I gasped. He slipped his tongue into my mouth, and I drank in the taste of him, desire unfurling within me, as I massaged the muscles in his back, feeling every knot and scratch and scar beneath my fingertips.

I scraped my fingernails down his sides and he groaned into my mouth, grinding his erection against my thigh as he pushed my dress up, the fabric bunching around my waist. He trailed hot fingers over my hips and down my damp thighs, rocking me forward so that I could feel the pulsing length of him against my panties and I whimpered. He tried to break away from our kiss to see what he was doing but I grabbed hold of his face, keeping his mouth pressed to mine, my tongue moving urgently against his. He shuddered, fumbling a little as he reached down and freed himself from his sweats, and with one hand pulled my underwear to the side, pushing himself into me to the hilt.

I cried out at the feeling of his thick cock filling me so quickly, and it was almost too much. I tried to pull away but this time it was him holding me in the kiss, one hand pressed against the back of my head as he kept himself buried inside me. I could feel the muscles in his chest and thighs vibrating as he strained to keep still, to give me time to adjust. He gently bit my lip and I shivered, and suddenly him just filling me wasn’t enough. I rolled my hips against his and he groaned, pulling out and pulsing into me again. I gasped at the sensation, breaking the kiss, and he grabbed my dress and pulled it over my head, quickly running one hand behind my back and undoing the clasp of my bra and tugging it off me. He pulled me against him, my naked breasts brushing his chest, and rocked into me again. Each movement was torturously slow, the feel of him sliding in out and out of me drawing noises from my throat, and I bucked against him as the pleasure started to rise in me like warm water filling up a cup.

He groaned, one hand snaking down my front to massage the swollen nub just above where we were joined, and I gritted my teeth and dropped my head to his shoulder as hot sparks shot from beneath his fingers straight to my core.

“You feel so fucking good.” he growled, his cock rubbing over the sensitive bundle of nerves deep inside me as he moved, and I squeaked.

“ _Fuck_ Trevor.” I breathed my voice trembling and full of lust, the combination of the sensations making me squirm in pleasure. “It’s too much.” 

He thrust into me again and I squeezed my eyes shut, turning my head so that my lips were pressed against his neck. Suddenly, he pulled me off the counter, both hands grasping my ass to support me, but the movement drove me down onto him and he rammed into that spot where pleasure met pain with an almost unbearable force. I cried out from the intensity, trying to buck away from him, but his fingers tightened against my flesh, keeping him buried deeper inside me than I thought possible.

“Trevor.” I gasped, barely able to breath and he met my eyes. His pupils were blown up from desire, irises barely visible as he stared back at me, his breath coming in ragged huffs. His fingers gripped into my skin and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he staggered from the kitchen toward the stairs, but every step that he took thrust him against that spot again, drawing a desperate whimper from my throat and causing my muscles to spasm around him. He made it as far as the foot of the staircase before he had to stop, a rumbling noise that echoed the thunder outside emanating from his chest, as he pushed me against the wall.

“Fuckin’-“ he groaned, his cock twitching inside me and he swore. “Fuckin’ _stop_ with those noises or I’m not gonna last.” He growled, but the sound of him so close and so sexy drew another whimper from my throat, and he shuddered, gripping into my skin hard enough to bruise as he tried to control himself.

“Fuck it.” He growled again, changing course. He managed to stumble into the lounge and get us to the sofa by the sliding doors before collapsing on top of me, his shaft still buried inside me.

He held himself there for a moment panting and I stared up at him, my chest heaving, as he propped himself up on one elbow, brushing whisps of hair from my face.

“You’re fuckin’ beautiful.” He said, his eyes burning with a raw, aching love, as he started to thrust back into me. I covered my face in my hands, the feeling too much, barely able to breath but he grabbed them and placed them again his cheeks. “Look at me, baby. Please.” He whispered and I moaned, thrusting up to meet his pace.

I gripped his face in my hands, feeling half mad with desire as I watched his face contort with pleasure with every thrust. That overwhelming sensation was starting to reach breaking point and I could tell from his erratic movements and shaking breath that he was close. I pulled his mouth back to mine and kissed him again, my lips colliding with his as he hammered into me and I rode that building wave of pleasure.

I gasped into his mouth as he bucked into me hard and my muscles started to convulse around him as I tipped over the edge. I arched into him breaking the kiss, holding his face and forcing him to meet my gaze as that indescribable pleasure overtook me. His dark eyes widened as I writhed, but I didn’t look away, burning with the need to show him how he made me feel. To let him see what he did to me.

“I l-love you, Trevor.” I cried out as the waves of pleasure crashed through me, my hips rocking into his, and he swore, his eyes squeezing shut as he slammed into me once more, shuddering as suddenly came, my words dragging him over the edge. That spreading warmth flooded my belly and he thrust into me a couple more times, riding the wave of his orgasm and calling my name. 

He slowly came to a stop, shivering and panting, as sweat dripped off him and onto me, but I didn’t care. I drank in the site of him as he held himself above me, a sweaty, shaking wide-eyed mess and he stared down at me, his mouth slightly open. 

“Jesus fuckin’ Christ, Ellie.” He said, his voice breathy. He grabbed my hand and held it against his clammy, pounding chest. “Are you _trying_ to fuckin’ kill me? The way you sounded just then. You’ve never said… Not during _that_.” he trailed off with a lust-filled groan, dropping his head against my collarbone. 

“I love you.” I said, trying to catch my breath, combing my fingers through his damp hair. “I wanted to tell you. Like you tell me.”

He shivered, rolling off me so that his back was against the sofa cushions, pulling me against him so I was flush against his chest.

“I fucking love you too, baby.” He whispered into my hair. “You have no fuckin’ idea.”

I turned my head back toward him for a second, my heart swelling in my chest. Lightning flashed over the bay, and his dark eyes shone. I kissed him quickly, trying to push everything I felt into that gentle brushing of lips and he smiled against my mouth. He let go of me briefly as he reached up to the back of the sofa and pulled a blanket over us, before running his hands over my hips and nuzzling his face against the back of my neck. He let out a deep, contented sigh and I smiled, reaching down to loop my finger through his, holding his hand until his warmth lulled me into a deep and dreamless sleep.

I woke up to soft light pouring through the sliding doors. The curtains were wide open, and my eyes drifted over the panoramic view of the bay as I snuggled back into Trevor’s body. He was breathing evenly, his hot chest pressed into my back as I watched the early sun light catch and glitter on the gentle waves as they broke on the shore.

I lay there for a while, just enjoying the view and the feeling of his body pressed against mine, until my bladder finally told me I needed to get up. Carefully, so as to not wake him, I rolled off the sofa. I knelt there for a second just looking at him, before leaning over and kissing him gently on the cheek. He smiled in his sleep, a quirk from the corner of his lips and my heart flipped in my chest. He really was the cutest fucking thing I’d ever seen.

I got up off the floor quietly, grabbing another blanket it and wrapping it round myself, drawing the curtain to stop the sunlight shining directly onto him before making my way to the kitchen. I retrieved his sodden jacket from the floor and slid my hand into the pocket pulling out the ring. I bit my lip as I slipped it onto my finger, holding out my hand at staring at it as my heart pounded in my chest. I knew I should put it back but I really didn’t want to. I turned my wrist and the light caught on little diamond at the centre and I smiled. It was a symbol of us. A tiny little piece of Trevor that I could wear forever, and I would be damned if I was taking it off.

I crept up the stairs as quietly as I could. Saying he’d had a challenging week would be putting it lightly, and he’d looked so peaceful sleeping that I didn’t want to wake him up just yet. I got to the bedroom and tipped the contents of my bag over the bed, pulling out some underwear, a pair of denim shorts and a white, halter neck crop top. I dressed quickly, grabbed my phone, and sat down, considering the pile of clothes on the bed.

I couldn’t live out of this bag forever, I realised. Sure, it had worked for me before, but back then I literally didn’t have anything, or anyone, else. But things were different now. I was different. I had an apartment, and friends and a whole life back in Liberty City. I couldn’t just disappear and never go back, I owed it more than that. I thumbed through my phone, looking at flights and wincing, inwardly regretting giving away my share of the score to the boys. It was fucking expensive being principled.

I dropped my phone and got up to brush my teeth. I didn’t have to go back right away, I reasoned. I could cancel my lease from here and get someone to put my stuff into storage. I could always book my flight in a couple of months once I had some time to get some money together. I finished brushing my teeth and grinned as I caught sight of my reflection. My hair looked crazy and my freckles were out of control, but I looked happy.

I smiled and walked back to the bedroom, jumping as I realised Trevor was sat on the bed. He’d put on some grey sweats and a white t-shirt and was holding my phone loosely in his hand.

“What the fuck is this?” he asked, his voice low as he held out the open list of flights. My stomach dropped.

“Trevor. I know that looks bad, but-“ I spoke quickly, trying to explain, but he cut me off.

“It _looks_ bad. It **fucking** looks bad?” He growled. “What the _fuck_ , Ellie? You’re fuckin’ leaving?”

I opened my mouth to speak, but he shook his head, standing up and pacing.

“Fuck you. Don’t even fuckin’ try to deny it. These flights are for _tomorrow_.” He hissed, one hand clutching at his forehead as the other constricting around my phone until it creaked. “How the fuck… How the fuck could you do this to me, huh? You tell me you fuckin’ love me and then you abandon me? Again! You’re a fuckin’… a fuckin’ _snake_ , just like everyone else.”

I tried to speak again, panic starting to build in my chest, but my phone started ringing in is hand. He looked down at it then back at me, his pupils’ tiny pinpricks of rage.

“Fuckin’ Lester?” he said, angrily. “What, are you two in on this together? You fucking him, too?”

He lobbed my phone across the room, and it smashed against the wall, the buzzing stopping immediately. Anger spiked through me, pushing back the panic, and I glared at him. He caught the look in my eyes and dropped to his knees, his expression shifting from rage to anguish in a heartbeat.

“I’m fuckin’ sorry baby, I didn’t mean it.” He said, his voice hoarse as he scooted towards me on his knees. “I know that this is a lot, but I fucking love you okay. I need you. _Please_ don’t fucking leave me. If you want to go to Liberty City, I can go to Liberty City. It’s full of pricks but I’ll do it for you. I can-“

I crossed to him quickly and kissed him, cutting him off. For a second he didn’t respond but then his arms encircled my waist, hugging me as I straddled his knees. I broke away from him and he stared at me, fear on his face.

“You need to calm the fuck down.” I whispered and he narrowed his eyes, opening his mouth as if to speak, but I pressed my lips against his again to stop him. “I fucking mean it, Trevor. I told you that I’m staying here. I was just looking up flights because I need to go back to get my stuff. That’s all.”

“And were you planning on fuckin’ telling me this, sugar? Huh? Or were you just gonna go?” He asked, his voice low and sad.

“Trevor. I just googled the flights to see how much they would cost. Of _course_ I was going to fucking tell you.” I said, and stood up, suddenly angry and unwilling to deal with his bullshit. “I love you just as much as you love me. Do you get that? Not just a little bit. Not almost as much. Just ask fucking much. And I know you have a _teeeeeny_ tiny issue with abandonment, but I would never fucking walk out on you like that. Okay? And if you really think I would, then this won’t work.”

I looked down and waited for him to speak, but he just stared up at me at me sadly. I shook my head and left, walking downstairs to the kitchen. The patio door was still wide open, and I stood in the breeze, leaning against the island, and taking a deep breath.

“Ellie?” He said from behind me and I jumped, turning. He was leaning in the doorframe looking at me. I could hear his phone vibrating in his pocket, but he ignored it.

“What?” I said.

“Do you fucking _promise_ you’re not gonna leave?” he asked, and I stiffened, walking over and cupping his face in my hands.

“I swear to God, Trevor. This is the last time I’m going to fucking say this. I am not leaving you. There will be points in the future, where I might need to temporarily be somewhere else, okay. Like, I might need to get fucking groceries. Or I might need to go to Los Santos for work. Or, given this conversation, you might piss me off and I might need some space. Who fucking knows? But I promise you that I will always come home to you, okay? I promise.” I said, and he looked at me for a second before nodding.

“Okay.” He said, looking uncertain. “I’m sorry, okay? I fuckin’… I get so on edge sometimes, you know, and I can’t think straight. Especially when it comes to you.”

“I know.” I said, leading him to a stool by the island and pushing him into it. “I knew what you would think the second I saw you with my phone. And, by the way, you owe me a new phone.”

He sighed and ran his hands through his thinning hair, staring at the ceiling.

“ _Fuccccck_.” He exhaled, and then looked at me. “I really am sorry.”

“Apology accepted.” I said, and then grinned at him. “You know, you’ve kind of mellowed in your old age.”

“Fuck you.” He snapped, but he smiled.

“Later, baby.” I said, slipping my arms around his waist. I was just leaning into kiss him when the doorbell rang, and I jumped.

“What the –“ I started, but he cut me off with a groan.

“Fuck. It’s Michael.” He growled, and I raised my eyebrows at him. “I asked him to come by with some of my stuff.”

I laughed and moved to get the door, but he caught me by the waist and pulled me back, kissing me quickly.

“I love you.” He said, simply and I smiled.

“Love you too.” I replied and he let me go. I walked toward the door to let Michael in, but as I reached the hall I paused and turned to look back at him.

He sat there quietly, watching me. The morning light shone through the open patio door, illuminating him, lighting up his thinning brown hair and drawing out the amber in his dark eyes. He had one elbow on the table, resting his head in his hand, his white t-shirt clinging to his pecs, fuzzy chest hair curling up against his tanned, weathered skin. I smiled at him and he swallowed, the movement drawing my eyes to the “cut here” tattoo that encircled his neck. My heart expanded in my chest.

“What the fuck are you looking at?” He growled nervously, and I smiled wider.

“When Michael’s gone, can I tell you my answer?” I asked and he choked, his expression suddenly panicked. He started to shake his head, but his gaze landed on the little band of gold encircling my ring finger and he froze. His mouth dropped open and he looked up at me. I blushed and his eyes slowly lit up, his lips curving into a smile. He nodded mutely, and I bit my lip, grinning as I turned back toward the door. Trevor’s phone went off again and I heard him answer it enthusiastically as I reached for the door handle. Then everything happened at once.

The door burst open, knocking me backward and I fell to the floor, winded. I heard Trevor swear from the kitchen as a man pulled me up, restraining my arms behind my back. Before I had a chance to breathe, Trevor was in the hall, his expression engulfed by rage as he charged towards us, eyes fixed on the intruder.

There was movement at the door as more men spilled through it, and I screamed as a gunshot echoed through the house. Trevor staggered backward, bellowing with rage, blood blossoming through his shirt where it clung to his abdomen. Two of the men rushed toward him, grabbing his arms and pushing him to his knees.

“Let go of him.” I shrieked as he grunted in pain, struggling against the men holding him down. “Let him the fuck go!”

I tried to kick out but missed as a woman stepped through the door and into the hall. She was taller than me with long, jet-black hair, but as she turned toward me my mouth dropped open and for a moment I wondered if I’d lost my mind. Everything about her face, from her glittering hazel eyes to the freckles that splattered across her cheeks, was like looking in a mirror, and I stared at her as my lips formed the word that couldn’t possibly be true.

“Kyle?” I whispered and she smiled, the expression achingly familiar.

“Ellie.” She replied, and for a second I thought I might pass out. There was the sound of a scuffle from the other side of the hall and I looked over to see Trevor struggling, angrily, his rage filled gaze fixed on her.

“I don’t know what your fuckin’ angle is, you _piece of shit_ ,” he growled, his voice tight with pain and anger as he strained against the men that held him down. “But her sister’s fuckin’ dead.”

Kyle’s smile dropped and her attention snapped to him. Her lip curled in disgust as her gaze drifted over his clothes, before finally meeting his eyes.

“Fuck me.” He breathed, his mouth falling open as he studied her face. She narrowed her eyes and nodded at the guy holding him down and he shoved a gag into his mouth. I didn’t even react. I couldn’t. It was like I was watching the world through frosted glass. She turned back to me and spoke without thinking.

“They-“ I said, my voice little more than a whisper. “They told me you were dead.”

She looked away, guilt flashing over her features and I felt sick.

“I know.” She said.

“I can’t-.” I said, still barely able to think. She was alive. She was alive and she was here. Why was she here? “What are you…”

“I’m here to bring you home, Ell.” She said, crouching down in front of me and brushing my hair behind my ear. “It’s time for you to come home.”

“It’s really you?” I heard the words before I realised I’d said them, my voice cracking as tears sprung to my eyes.”

She nodded and I sobbed, feeling something inside me break and I sagged against the man restraining me.

“I don’t –“ I gasped through the tears. “I don’t understand. How did you…” I trailed off and she pulled back smiling at me, that guilt still in her eyes.

“I’m sorry Ellie Bear, but we don’t have time right now, okay? I promise that I’ll explain everything to you when we’re home.” She said.

“But… the funeral.” I said. “How are you...?”

“I don’t have time to explain right now, Ell. I’ve been trying to reach you for years, ever since I found out you were in LC. But Daddy’s at war with the Cartel, so I couldn’t go there. This was the only thing I could think of to get you somewhere neutral where I’d have a chance to talk to you. To convince you to come home.”

I blinked at her, the fog was starting to clear, and fear was starting to creep into my gut.

“It was you?” I asked, my voice faint. “You fed me the information about the crate?”

She nodded.

“I was going to intercept you in Los Santos, but you didn’t go there. You went to see _him_ and dropped off the fucking radar. I could see my opportunity slipping out of my fingers, so I got Mark to wait out at the docks. I didn’t know what your plan was, but I knew you’d turn up eventually.” She sighed and brushed her fingers against my cheek. “I’m so sorry for what happened at that fucking place, I told him not to let anyone hurt you under any circumstance.”

“You got Mark to...” I said slowly, my brain working at a snail’s pace. “That doesn’t make sense. If you wanted to talk to me why didn’t you…” I trailed off, an icy feeling in my stomach. I was missing something here, but I was still in too much shock to figure it out.

“There was something that I had to take care of first.” She said.

I frowned at her and she dropped her hand from my face and stood up, staring at Trevor again and shaking her head, perplexed. The cold fear twisted in my gut like a snake as she looked backed at me incredulously.

“Seriously, Ellie? This guy?” She asked. “What the fuck were you thinking?”

“I love him.” I whispered, but she ignored me.

“He’s a dime-store fucking drug dealer.” She said, exasperated. “Do you know how embarrassing it was for daddy that you ran off to the desert with a fucking junky? People started to question his position as head of The Family. It almost started a fucking war.”

My heart slammed in my chest and pure terror flooded through my veins as I suddenly realised how much danger we were in.

“I didn’t run off to be with Trevor, Kyle.” I whispered. “I left to get away from dad. You _know_ that.”

I swallowed and looked over at Trevor and he stared back at me, accusation written on his face. I’d left home when I was sixteen which meant I hadn’t been part of The Family for almost a decade when I met him. But I hadn’t told him about it, and that to Trevor was a lie. He made another muffled noise from behind his gag, and Kyle rounded on him, anger burning in her eyes.

“Oh, you got something to say, huh?” she hissed, stalking over, and grabbing the gag out of his mouth. He grinned at her; rage flashing in his eyes like lightning.

“I was just gonna say that there’s no need to be jealous, sweetcheeks. There’s plenty of me to go around.” He laughed, but it was angry. “Always wanted to try a little _sister-act_ if you know what I mean, especially daughters of a fuckin’ _crime lord_.” He looked behind her, meeting my eyes as he said it and they were so full of betrayal that I had to look away.

“You didn’t tell him?” Asked Kyle, looking back and me and frowning “What are you embarrassed of _us_? Is that it?”

I stared back mutely, a single tear dripping down my cheek, and her eyes flashed in anger. Before I could say anything, her foot darted out, connecting with the bullet wound in his gut.

“Stop it!” I screamed as he grunted in pain, falling forward, the only thing stopping him from collapsing the two goons at his side.

“No!” she yelled back. “Look at him Ellie. Fucking just look at him. He’s gross, he’s old. He’s a fucking heroin addict, for fucks sake.”

“Ex-heroin addict.” He coughed, and she glowered at him.

“I love him.” I said and sighed.

“No. You fucking don’t” she replied, and I started to shake. “And even if you do, he’s not good enough for anyone, let alone you.”

“Why didn’t you talk to me at the docks, Kyle?” I asked, my voice trembling and she gave me a sad smile.

“You know why, Ell.” She replied, pulling a gun from her holster and my blood went cold.

My eyes flicked to Trevor and his eyes were dark but blank as he stared back at me.

“No.” I whispered. “No, Kyle. Please.”

“Shut up Ellie. You know it has to be done. If you had just fucking left him alone then I could have too, but you had to go crawling back to him, and now I have to fucking put him down.” She said, angrily.

“Why.” I said, tears flooding my vision. “Why are you doing this to me.”

“I’m not doing it to you, Ellie, I’m doing it for you.” She hissed. “You have to come home. If you don’t, I don’t know what daddy will do and there is only one _thing_ tying you to this fucking place. And I need to get rid of it because it’s clear to me now that you’ll never be able to give him up willingly.”

I started to cry.

“Please.” I cried. “Please Kyle. I’ll do whatever the fuck you want, I’ll work for whoever you want. I’ll come home. I’ll never even leave the fucking state, just please don’t fuckin’ hurt him.”

She cocked the pistol and pointed it at Trevor, and I screamed. He didn’t move, his eyes still locked on me as I cried.

“Please Kyle. Please I swear to God, I’ll do whatever you say. I promise. I swear I will.” I gasped, my whole body shaking as I sobbed.

She looked back at me and then to Trevor who hadn’t moved as he watched my face. His eyes darted between mine as I stared back at him, tears rolling my cheeks, my stomach twisted into painful knots.

“No, you won’t.” she said, but she sounded less sure and I tore my gaze away from him to look at her.

“Please, Kyle. I fucking _promise_ you. I’ve never lied to you before, have I? Please don’t do this. I love him.” I sobbed. “Please don’t hurt him.”

“For fucks sake Ell.” She growled, frustrated, looking between the two of us, but slowly lowering the gun. “You can never come back here you hear me? You can never talk to him again. As far as you’re fucking concerned he died today, okay?”

I sobbed again, but nodded, tears pouring down my face.

“I’ll do whatever you say as long as you promise to leave him alone. Whatever you say.” I hiccupped. Anything.”

“You’ll walk out of here right, get into that car and come with me to Vice willingly? You’ll take your place as a daughter of The Family” She asked, and I nodded frantically.

“Anything Kyle. Fucking anything.” I gasped, and she frowned at me.

“You’d really give up your freedom. For _him_?” She asked, and I nodded, unable to speak.

"In a heartbeat." I whispered.

She sighed, holstering her gun, and turning back to Trevor.

“You are fucking lucky she loves you, asshole.” She said, looking at him like he was a puzzle she couldn’t work out. “If it were up to me, I’d put a bullet through your brain.”

I looked at him and he stared back at me. His eyes were still burning but now they burned with that penetrating, raw love that I’d seen last night.

“I know.” He said, quietly. Kyle turned away from him and nodded at the man holding me. He didn’t move and she frowned.

“I’m sorry, did you miss the class on non-verbal communication?” she asked, her voice tired. “Put my sister in the fucking car.”

The man didn’t move, and she turned as one of the men holding Trevor put his hand to his holster and drew out his gun.

“What the fuck are you doing?” she asked, her eyes wide.

“I’m sorry, mam. I’ve got orders from the boss to put him down.” He said, and she swore.

“No.” I whispered, feeling bile rising in my throat. “He hasn’t fucking done anything. He doesn’t even know who daddy is. Leave him alone!”

Kyle met my eyes, and from the shock in them I suddenly realised she never had any real intent to kill Trevor. She was banking on the threat being enough. I threw myself forward kicking out sharply at the man holding me. He let out a grunt as my foot connected with his shin, releasing me, and I charged at the gunman, but before I got there I was grabbed around the waist and pulled back again.

“Stop him Kyle, fucking stop him!” I cried struggling against the hands that held me, my eyes looking between her and Trevor as he knelt on the floor, watching me passively. “Trevor, fucking do something!”

Trevor smiled at me then, cocking his head to the side as the fingers around my waist tightened.

“Kyle, he didn’t even fuckin’ know, please don’t let him do this.” I screamed, but she just stood there, eyes wide and face pale and then looked away.

“Take her outside.” She growled at the man holding me. “She doesn’t need to see this.”

I opened my mouth to try again, to try anything as I was pulled away, but Trevor’s voice stopped me.

“Can I at least have one fuckin’ second with her?” His voice rumbled through the room and the man who’d been dragging me stopped. “To say goodbye?”

Kyle looked at me and for a moment it looked like she was going to cry, and she nodded.

“Let him say his fuckin’ piece.” Kyle snapped, looking away from me and glaring at the man holding the gun.

“Sure, boss.” He said and Trevor looked up at me from the floor and smiled. He opened his mouth to speak but before he could say anything I spoke.”

“Trevor I’m so fucking sorry. I’m so sorry for not telling you about my family.” My words were running into each other, but I couldn’t stop. “I didn’t mean to hide it from you. By the time I met you it just didn’t matter anymore. I fucking swear, I just didn’t-“

“Hey.” He interrupted, his voice soft. “Hey, baby, it’s okay.”

“No, it’s not.” I cried, tears flooding my vision. “I never meant to lie to you, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay baby. I don’t care about your fuckin’ family. Now that I’ve had the pleasure” His eyes flicked to Kyle darkly. “I can see why you left ‘em.”

He grinned at me and I burst into a fresh wave of tears. 

“Calm down, sugar.” He said, his voice soothing. “We might only have this one last fuckin’ moment and I need you to hear this, okay?”

I nodded, gasping, trying to control my breathing.

“I don’t think I ever really got it before just now.” He said quietly, his eyes not leaving mine.

“Got what?” I asked, hiccupping, and he smiled.

“That you really do fuckin’ love me. Don’t you?” he said and despite everything I scowled at him.

“You’re a fuckin idi-“ I stopped having to swallowed back my tears. “Idiot. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone.”

“I know.” He said, his amber eyes holding mine. “I love you too, Ellie. I really fucking love you. So, come on. Tell me.” he said, swallowing and I frowned at him, tears slipping down my cheeks.

“What?” I asked and he stared at me and bit his lip.

“Tell me your answer.” He said again, his eyes nervously dropping to my hand, then darting back up to my face, and suddenly I got it. He was about to be fucking executed and he was worried that I didn’t want to marry him.

“Yes.” I whispered, my heart breaking in my chest. “Of course, Trevor.”

“Fuck.” He sighed, wincing as he leaned back, fresh blood darkening the front of his shirt. “Well, ain’t that something?”

He smiled at me, his eyes glowing, and the arms around me tightened.

“No.” I whispered as I was pulled backward toward the door. I felt the familiar scratch of a needle in my arm and I screamed again, flailing to get free as my vision started to blur.

White noise settled in my ears like cotton wool and I grabbed onto the door frame, straining to hold on as the arms around my waist tried to me pull out. My eyes met Trevor’s and for one brief moment in time we just looked at each other, his amber eyes locked onto my hazel ones.

“I love you.” He mouthed, smiling, and then he was gone as I was pulled through the door and into a waiting car.

I tried to struggle as the engine roared to life, but my limbs felt like lead and my mind was verging on the edge of unconsciousness. Kyles voice punctured the approaching darkness, but I couldn’t understand the words, and the last thing I could make out before I was completely overcome was the sound of gunfire echoing out across Paleto Bay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the first thing I want to say is that I had this ending (and chapter title!) planned since I started writing this story. I always knew that it was going to end this way, BUT, I do have to say that after writing over 60,000 words of Trevor and Ellie it was a struggle to stick to it! Also, I know that this chapter is verrrrry long, but I didn't want to split out their last night together from the ending as it was TOO SAD TO DO THAT LOL. So apologies for making you read 6000 words in one go haha.
> 
> The second thing I wanted to say is just a massive THANK YOU to anyone that's read this far and to everyone that's read/commented/kudos'd this story. It's been amazing knowing that even one person has enjoyed it, so thank you, thank you, thank you! At some point in the future I may write a part two, because I feel like Ellie's story maybe isn't over yet, and I'll also probably write some more origin stories because I LOVE OG Trevor and Ellie (and by probably, I mean I already have hahaha).
> 
> Finally, just again a massive thank you - I hope you enjoyed reading Trevor and Ellie's story as much as I enjoyed writing it <3 xxx


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